Dick Button has always been the measuring stick for American men figure skaters. And no wonder, with seven straight U.S. titles and two Olympic gold medals.
Nathan Chen
While Chen is the favorite to win the gold medal, his path to victory isn t as certain as in years past.
On Saturday, he took the top spot with 113.92 points after landing a quadruple Lutz, a triple Axel and quad flip-triple toe loop in the short program. I m thrilled with the short program today, Chen told Barry Wilner and Bernie Wilson of the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo). He continued:
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I made a couple little bobbles on the landings and wish I had skated a little bit cleaner, but overall I m really happy with the program.
Bradie Tennell captures second US Figure Skating title
January 16, 2021 GMT
LAS VEGAS (AP) Bradie Tennell is back on top of American figure skating.
The 22-year-old Olympian, who had finished second and third at the past two national championships, followed her rollicking short program with a rock-solid free skate Friday night at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Tennell hit all seven of her triple jumps to finish with 232.61 points, well clear of her closest rivals Amber Glenn and Karen Chen.
“I don’t even know where to start. I’m just so happy,” said Tennell, who has dealt with injuries and inconsistency since helping the U.S. win team bronze at the 2018 Winter Olympics. “That skate was everything I wanted to put out there. I was so happy and so grateful for everybody that helped me get here.”