And so far, Team USA’s figure skaters are basking in one of their best showings at the Winter Olympics in years. To kick things off, America’s figure skaters nabbed their highest finish ever in the team competition, winning the silver medal for the very first time—thanks in large part to Nathan Chen’s first-place finish among the men. In fact, after nailing two quadruple jumps in his short program while competing in the team event, Chen received his best skating score of the season with 111.71 points. Chen followed up that feat by delivering some of the best skating ever seen at these or any Games, with a performance in the men’s singles competition that finally earned him Olympic gold and cemented his status as the “king of the quads.” It started with an even better short program than he delivered in the team competition, earning a score of 113.97—as ESPN has noted, “the highest short program score in figure skating history.” For his long program, Chen once again brought the athleticism and the artistry, performing to an Elton John medley that combined several quad jumps with tender moments, near-flawless execution and even a little dance party at the finish. It earned him an astounding 332.60 points, besting second-place finisher, Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, by more than 22 points. There was some sad news for Team USA heading into the men’s singles event, however: U.S. male figure skater Vincent Zhou learned that he had tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to bow out of the competition. According to NBC News, “under the competition’s Late Athlete Replacement guidelines, Zhou bowed out too late in the process to name a substitute,” which would have been 17-year-old Virginian IliaMalinin. That left just two men competing for Team USA: Chen and Jason Brown—who finished an impressive sixth in the men’s singles with a lovely (but less technical) long program. Chen previously said,“I think this team is incredible, just the amount of experience we all have… Regardless of anything, we’re going to have great skates there. And going back to experience, I think it’s so important. I’ve been to events for the first time and things didn’t necessarily go the way I wanted them to. It’s really daunting. So the experience of going to one and knowing what to expect… it’s great to have a team like this.” Keep reading to learn more about the athletes on the U.S. Olympic Men’s Figure Skating Team in 2022.
Who is U.S. men’s figure skater Nathan Chen?
A skater is that good when they can fall multiple times and still walk away with the top prize. At the 2022 U.S. nationals just weeks ahead of the Olympics, Chen skated a perfect short program… before falling twice in the free skate. He took it in stride, even throwing his arms into the air at one point. But even with the falls, his overall score (taking into account a stunning six quadruple jumps during his performances) put him up more than 23 points above the next skater and he nabbed his sixth U.S. National title. Chen’s also won the World Championship three years in a row, and won a bronze team medal at the 2018 Pyeongyang games. He even holds two world records as of 2021. All his success might make another athlete a bit standoffish, but Chen seems to be a good sport, even when he loses, which is rare. In fact, it’s only happened once in three seasons. In October, when Zhou handed Chen his first loss since the 2018 Olympics, Chen was actually pleased. “It [the winning streak] was going to end at some point of time. I’m really proud of these guys here, if anyone is to break my winning streak I’m glad it’s [Zhou],” Chen said. Off the ice, Chen is a Yale University student, although he’s paused his degree in Statistics and Data Science to prepare for the 2022 Olympics. Chen is also very good friends with Mariah Bell, the 25-year-old Women’s Figure Skating Team member making her first trip to the Olympics. She pops up every so often on Chen’s Instagram feed, and he singled her out the other day with a blast from the past: a picture of the two of them as kids. “Literally started from the bottom and now us champs and olympic team members!” he captioned the pic.
Who is U.S. men’s figure skater Vincent Zhou?
The “baby” of the team at the age of 21, Zhou has already made a name for himself in figure skating as the first figure skater to land a quadruple lutz in a competition at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games, when he was only 17. And as mentioned, since 2018, he’s the only person who’s bested Chen. Zhou feels that it’s his Bay Area background that’s motivated his drive and standards for success. “Due to the high Asian population in California’s Bay Area, competition in academics is very fierce,” Zhou has said. “Only the highly competitive, hardworking, diligent, committed people make it. That played a huge part in me understanding the standards my family has for academics and whatever I decided to pursue in terms of sport.” Zhou’s parents, two software engineers, moved with him and his sister to Palo Alto, California, when he was a baby. Even though they emphasized that education was paramount, Zhou also says “my parents were willing to make sacrifices for my skating career that no parents in our community, or anyone we had heard of, were willing to. They did whatever it took to foster my talent, push me to work hard and achieve great results, and go above and beyond for me.” He is a student at Brown University, which he’s paused to pursue skating. Zhou’s work throughout the season easily earned him a spot in the 2022 Olympics team. He finished third at this year’s nationals with a gorgeous short program, despite some trouble with his free skate. “I was so nervous that my body froze up on me, I couldn’t get things to respond,” he said, adding that he’d get to the bottom of the issue before the Olympic games start.
Who is U.S. men’s figure skater Jason Brown?
Brown has a big personality, and that can sometimes belie his abilities on the ice. Sure, he’s skated a Riverdance-inspired program that went viral, done another inspired by Hamilton and has a new program using NinaSimone’s “Sinnerman”(which may show up in Beijing), but Brown also finished in the top 10 and won a team bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He won the 2015 nationals the next year. Still, his career seemed to wobble a bit in 2018, when he didn’t make the Olympic team and was only an alternate. Because Brown’s been there, he knows how 17-year-old skater Ilia Malinin felt this month when given an alternate position this year instead of a place on the Olympic team. Malinin (the son of 2 Uzbek Olympians) had surprised many by placing second at the U.S. nationals, above both Zhou and Brown, who placed at third and fourth, respectively. Yet the more experienced pair were chosen for the Olympics. “I think as you guys all know, I’ve been in this for so many years—now 20 years—and it feels like I’ve been through every single scenario: the young kid that makes it, the guy that gets left off the team. And I so feel for him,” Brown said about the decision. Brown’s own time as an alternate was extraordinarily humbling. In fact, it was such a blow that Brown made some big changes. He started by chopping off his ponytail that had become so popular it had its own Twitter account, then he sought out new coaches in Toronto, including Olympian (and former Boitano foe) BrianOrser. “I think I have this incredibly strong base,” Brown said in 2020. “And I’m just so, so incredibly happy where I’m at. I’m happy where I’m at physically, technically, mentally, emotionally." When COVID-19 hit, the 27-year-old returned to his hometown of Highland Park, Illinois, to spend quarantine with his family–and train via Zoom. “I went back home to the Highland Park/Chicago area during COVID… It was the first time my entire family was together, back at home, living under the same roof in nine years. It was very special!” he said. “On the flip side, it definitely affected my training. Became very Zoom literate and did multiple Zoom workout classes each day with my trainers and coaches to stay in shape.” Brown also came out publicly as gay in June 2021, declaring on Instagram, “I am who I am, and have always been fortunate to be surrounded by people who made me feel like that was enough.”
How many figure skaters go to the Olympics?
Chen, Zhou and Brown are, at present, the only men from the U.S. Men’s Figure Skating Team intended to skate for competition. However, COVID-19 is very much alive and well, affecting six skaters at the national championships. Olympic organizers have set up a planned “closed loop” system in Beijing to avoid virus transmission, but… an alternate may have reason to be more hopeful for a shot than in other years.
Who is on the U.S. men’s figure skating team at the 2022 Olympics?
Nathan Chen
Vincent Zhou
Jason Brown
Ilia Malinin–alternate
Camden Pulkinen-alternate
Jimmy Ma-alternate
When was men’s figure skating at the 2022 Olympics?
The 2022 Winter Olympic games will take place from Friday, Feb. 4 to Sunday, Feb. 20. The figure skating events began with the team competitions, with the men’s teams delivering their short programs on that first day of competition; the second team component, the free skate, was held on Sunday, Feb. 6. After that, the individual men’s competition kicked off with short programs on Tuesday, Feb.8, followed by the free skate on Thursday, Feb. 10. You can view the Olympic games on all NBC stations, including the Olympic channel and the streaming service Peacock. Check out our guide to find more ways to view and stream the 2022 Winter Olympics. Next, All About the 2022 Winter Olympics—Including New Sports, COVID Protocols and Diplomatic Boycotts
