Gangneung, South Korea • In the basement of the building where he’ll look to fulfill his destiny, Nathan Chen made it look easy.
There were the occasional hiccups, some tumbles to the ice on one of his many quad jump attempts that left him shaking his head. But each time he fell to the ice at the practice rink inside the Gangneung Ice Arena, the 18-year-old gold-medal contender rose and went through the corrective motions.
In the same spot on the ice where two quad attempts went awry, he returned only to land the cleanest attempt of the day. One fan seated in the limited bleachers stood and clapped the execution.
That’s why he’s here, this game-changing skating star from Salt Lake City.
Chen utilized all 35 minutes of his practice skate Thursday afternoon, prepping for his Olympic debut. He landed six of his nine quad attempts in total. And as it turns out, the world won’t have to wait another week for Chen to take the ice. He was chosen by U.S. Figure Skating to skate in the men’s short program portion of the Team Event, scheduled to start Friday morning in Gangneung.
“It’s good,” Chen said when asked of the benefits of performing in both the team event and individual competition. “There’s a big period of time between this and the individual [competition], so it’s nice to have a little practice run first.”
He’s still getting adjusted to the time change, like most everyone whose descended on this coastal city on the east side of the country. He’s still waking up earlier than he’d like to, but as Chen pointed out, all competitions start in the morning.
Has he had anytime to soak in the Olympic experience before his debut, which also comes the same day as the Opening Ceremony? Not really, which should come as no shock. Chen was on the ice for three practice sessions Wednesday.
There is familiarity here for one of the blockbuster draws of these Olympics. Last February, Chen won the Four Continents competition here that doubled as an Olympic test event, topping reigning Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan.
“Everything is basically as it was last year,” Chen said, “and everything is great.”
The stage he’s waited his whole life for is upon him. He’s stayed true to his demeanor, refusing to provide any sort of bulletin board material with any sort of semi-controversial questions tossed his way in the mixed zones. He is of few words, mainly action and that won’t change now that the Olympics will finally be added to his portfolio.
One topic brought out a consistent smile.
The Chen family was expected to arrive Thursday. They’ll all be in attendance — mom, dad and all four siblings. Chen said he used some of his earnings this season to pay for their travel to South Korea.
“It’s huge, having family support behind me,” he said. “They’ve been there since Day 1, so it’s only rightful for them to be here.”
The day that’s been long-discussed, long-awaited is Friday. When Chen skates, he won’t be in the basement. He’ll be at center ice, ready for the close-up everyone’s been waiting to see.
