US Olympic Gold Medalist Nathan Chen Gives an Upsetting Update on His World Championships Appearance: “I Am Disappointed”

Olympic Gold medalist and World No. 1, Nathan Chen, recently revealed that he is opting out of the World Championships due to an injury. This news came as a shock to the world as Chen was the most looked forward to the athlete at the Championships.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Nathan Chen secured the gold medal after putting on a flawless performance to the tunes of Rocket Man. He set a new world record by topping the scoreboard with 332.60 points.

However, now, the figure skater has ruled himself out from the championships. Chen himself is extremely disappointed, but he does not want to risk any further injury and hence, made the tough call.

Nathan Chen skates out of the World Championships

After his Olympic win, Chen was aiming for the World Championships title next. This would put him on the list of rare figure skaters who won the Olympics and the World Championships in the same year. Not to mention, arch-rival Yuzuru Hanyu is already on this list.

READ MORE: US Olympic Gold Medalist Nathan Chen Makes a Doubtful Claim on His Future in Figure Skating Post Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

But due to an injury, Chen was forced to withdraw his participation.

“I am disappointed to have to withdraw from worlds,” said Chen. After he returned from the Olympics, he had been busy training for the same.

“I have been training for this competition since returning from Beijing. I have a nagging injury that I’ve been dealing with and I don’t want to risk further injury by practicing and competing next week.”

Chen will be replaced on the US team by Camden Pulkinen next week in Montpellier, France. This was highly unexpected as Nathan Chen has dominated the World Championships previously.

Reigning World Champion Chen opts out

When Chen came into the Olympics, he was the reigning World Champion. Since 2017, Chen has won back-to-back World Championships every year. It was highly expected that this year too, he would rule the Championships.

If Nathan took part in this year’s World Championships, he would have become the second figure skater to have won 4 consecutive titles. Previously, only American skater Scott Hamilton has achieved this feat.

However, Chen has prioritized his health over his performance. And rightly so, because he has already proved himself at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. Chen would be at the risk of more injury if he went into the Championships without being fully fit.

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Now, in his absence, who do you think is the favorite to lift the title in France?