Nathan Chen Wins Fifth Consecutive U.S. Title to Close the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships

Nathan Chen might be known for the number four, but he's going to have to start getting a little more comfortable with the number five.
 
On Sunday at the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, the quad king won his fifth consecutive U.S. title, becoming just the second man since World War II to do so.
 
The other? Dick Button, two-time Olympic champion and five-time World champion, who won seven in a row from 1946-52.
 
"It means the world," Chen said of joining Button's rarefied company. "Dick is a true skating icon, and it just feels incredible to be trying to chase something that someone like that has done. I'm nowhere near the level he was at, but it's just cool to be able to even be mentioned within his sort of realm."
 
Chen's free skate to various songs by Philip Glass scored 208.36 points, giving him 322.28 points overall to win the title. He joins fellow 2021 champions Bradie Tennell (ladies), Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier (pairs) and Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue (ice dance).
 
Chen's performance on Sunday wasn't as clean as he would've liked, however, as he put his hands down on the landing of his opening quad Lutz.
 
"I was a little timid today, honestly," Chen said. "That's on me. I felt like I didn't really attack all my elements. I just tried to focus on conserving energy, and that's not the right approach. So that's, I think, what caused the first element to have an error. The rest of the program, I was trying to make sure I stayed on my feet."
 
Chen is undefeated since the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, winning two World titles and two Grand Prix Finals in that span.
 
It's an incredible streak of dominance, and one that makes him nearly untouchable. But Chen remains pragmatic about his accomplishments.
 
 "Ultimately it comes down to the fact that everyone is capable of doing it (winning), but I still want to focus on what I'm capable of doing myself, and just being able to continue trying to improve on myself," Chen said.
 
Looming on the not-so-distant horizon is the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. An Olympic title is the one accolade missing from Chen's resume, and winning it would cement him as one of the greatest the sport has ever seen. But after seeing his worst fears realized in 2018 and not just surviving, but thriving, he's approaching his next Olympic season with a new, more relaxed mindset.
 
"It's always been a dream of mine to be able to win a national title, to win a world title, to win an Olympic title. Easier said than done," Chen said. "So of course I would love to be able to win the next Olympics, but if that doesn't happen, it's not like my legacy or who I am is ultimately diminished. I'm still happy with everything that I've done, and I'm proud of everything that I've already accomplished in skating. Whether or not I get that title at the Olympics is not going to define me as a person."
 
Vincent Zhou took the silver medal with 291.38 points overall. His free skate to "Algorithm" and "Algorithm (Alternate Reality Version)" by Muse scored 183.59 points.
 
"For the most part, I felt calm, collected," Zhou said. "I think my mind was in a good spot. This is my first time trying that jump layout in competition. Still some mental cues that I could've done better. Honestly I'm really not happy with myself for throwing away my first 300-point opportunity like that, but all the same, this competition is still great experience, and lots of positives as well."
 
This matches Zhou's best U.S. Championships finish, which he previously achieved in 2017 and 2019. He won pewter in 2020 after nearly quitting the sport, and is now eyeing Olympic success in 2022.
 
"It's the climb," Zhou said. "Every single week of training, I'm learning and growing. Every single competition, I'm getting better. I'm really starting to package myself in the right way, and everything, not just the jumps, are going in very much the right direction. Failure is only supposed to make you want it more, and it's no exception for me. Knowing that I came from last year's nationals, barely being able to do anything, to this year, what I put out, despite the errors, was a huge step up in various areas. I'm really, really excited for the coming season."
 
2015 U.S. champion Jason Brown won bronze after his free skate to "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" by Richard Rodgers & New York Philharmonic earned 176 points, bringing his total to 276.92.
 
"Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how the event went," Brown said. "A bit disappointed in today. I have high expectations for myself, and so what I was hoping for I fell a little short of that. That being said, it's just incredible that we have an event to compete at."
 
Yaroslav Paniot rounded out the podium in fourth place. His free skate to an Elvis Presley medley earned 183.23 points, giving him 266.97 points overall.
 
"Everything went very smooth, because I was finally in the best shape of my life," Paniot said. "I won't say anything too genius or too unique, but you need to just work, work, work, and you'll get this result."

The 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships continues next week with the junior-level competition set for Jan. 20-21. Fans can watch every skater live and on-demand on Peacock Premium. Don't forget to check out the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships Virtual Fan Experience to get a backstage look at the event.