?Can?t Ever Count Hanyu Yuzuru Out?: Nathan Chen Praises Biggest Rival After His Shocking Setback at Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

There are figure skaters who have graced the world with their unbelievable skills. But Nathan Chen is unlike any. There is a certain aura about him that is unexplainable. He moved beautifully on the ice rink to put on a world-record short program performance at the 2022 Beijing Olympics recently. Hence, the crowd rose to their feet, watching the special man doing the quadruple jumps.

However, Japanese figure skater, Hanyu Yuzuru, the reigning Olympic Champion, did not perform as per expectations. Regardless, Chen was full of praise for the legendary figure skater.

Nathan Chen is all praise for Hanyu Yuzuru

The outstanding Hanyu Yuzuru scored just 95.15 points during the short program. With the fans in attendance shocked at the performance, they could not believe that Yuzuru could not conjure up a score above 100. It came as a surprise to all those watching. However, Chen showed his respect and support for his rival figure skater. He spoke gracefully about how Yuzuru inspired him in every single way and felt blessed to compete with the iconic figure skater.

“But, you certainly can’t ever count Hanyu Yuzuru out. He’s a two-time Olympic Champion for a reason and also, no matter what he does in the future, he will always, always be a true figure skating icon. One of the greatest ever, if not the greatest ever. So nothing that he can do in the future can ever take anything away from that.”

“I was just a kid when I started watching him, and then I had the opportunity to go and start competing against him. It’s meant the world for me to be able to continue having opportunities to skate with him,” said Chen.

With the long program set to start soon, Chen has a significant advantage over his Japanese rival. The king of quad performed an incredible routine during the short program.

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A record-breaking performance

Leading against his rival is incredible, but to do that by smashing his world record is legendary. Yuzuru set a short-program world record of 111.82 during the figure skating competition. However, Chen scored 113.97 during his stunning performance. His quadruple jumps, followed by his elastic movements, were a treat to watch.

To sum up, he might be the one to fetch the gold medal this time around. By not appearing for the opening ceremony due to the fear of a pandemic, Chen focused only on the Olympics. Now, the results are there to see.

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