With Third World Title Now on His Resume, Nathan Chen Turns Attention and Excitement to World Team Trophy

Speaking less than 10 days after his latest monumental win, Nathan Chen couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew this one felt different.
 
"I'm really proud of this win, perhaps a little bit more so than the other ones," Chen shared.
 
On March 27, Chen built upon his seemingly endless resume of dominance when he won the gold medal at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2021.
 
While extending his win streak of individual competitions to 14 – including every one he has entered since the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, Chen has become the three-time reigning World champion and the first U.S. man to win three World titles since Scott Hamilton winfour straight from 1981-84.
 
The circumstances leading to this victory were unlike any surrounding his 2018 and 2019 World titles, however. It came at the end of a season full of uncertainty due to the pandemic. Chen only had two in-person competitions, neither of which had a live audience, leading into World Championships. He was following COVID-19 protocols put in place by the ISU in Stockholm. And, for the first time at any event since the 2018 Internationaux de France, he was not in the lead heading into the free skate.
 
"I'm just super happy with the way I was able to skate that long [program]," he said. "I definitely feel a sense of pride with this one, and I'm just really happy about it. … Ultimately, any time you're able to accomplish the goal you set out to accomplish, it feels great. Regardless of whether it's a big goal like winning Worlds or a smaller goal like qualifying for nationals [U.S. Championships] when I was younger, they all feel great. The degree of the achievement isn't necessarily the biggest thing, it's mostly the fact you're able to accomplish something; that makes me quite happy."
 
In third after the short program, Chen landed five clean quadruple jumps in his free skate for one of the best performances of his career. He went from being 8.13 points out from the lead to win the event by a margin of 29.11 points.
 
Behind Chen's 320.88-point total was silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama (291.77) and two-time Olympic and World champion Yuzuru Hanyu (289.18), both of Japan.
 
Upon returning home to California, Chen dedicated time to watching the men's competition, as well as some performances from the other disciplines.
 
"It was just nice to be able to sit back and watch how Yuzu skated, how Yuma skated, Shoma [Uno] skated, Mikhail [Kolyada]. Mikhail and Shoma specifically have improved quite a lot over the past couple of seasons, so it's awesome to see them grow," Chen said.


"Yuzu has always been dominant, so it's incredible to see 10-plus years of sheer dominance. Yuma (a 17-year-old who was competing at his first World Championships) brings a whole bunch of new energy to the table. It's cool to watch him and see where his strengths are, to learn from or just enjoy. Considering his age, his experience, to be able to pull out programs like that at Worlds given this crazy season and to have the quality that he has is quite impressive. Looking forward to seeing how he continues to push the sport in his own way."
 
Chen also went right back to the rink following the World Championships, to train for the upcoming ISU World Team Trophy 2021.
 
World Team Trophy is a biennial competition that features six of the top figure skating countries in the world. Each country sends two men, two ladies, a pairs team and an ice dance team. All skaters/teams perform both a short program/rhythm dance and a free skate/dance. The skater or team's placement within their discipline for each program contributes to the team's total score.
 
The decision to say 'yes' to being on the U.S. team for World Team Trophy was an easy one for Chen.
 
"At the end of the day, I want to have as many opportunities as I can to compete," he explained. "Every competition is quite different, so just to gain a little information to help prepare you for the next competition is quite valuable. As I always mention, I don't know how many competitions I'll have going forward, so might as well utilize the opportunities I have to compete and try to enjoy them as much as I can."
 
Chen will be joined by Jason Brown, Karen Chen, Bradie Tennell, Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, and Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, who will end their seasons together April 15-17 in Osaka, Japan.
 
The U.S. has medaled at all six World Team Trophy competitions dating back to its 2009 debut, and is the defending champion after a 2019 return to the top of the podium over fellow perennial favorites Japan and Russia.
 
Chen is making his third World Team Trophy appearance, earning gold with Team USA in 2019 and bronze in 2017, and is an Olympic bronze medalist in the Team Event which follows a similar format.
 
"It's nice to have teammates too," Chen said. "Since most of the time you're competing by yourself, you don't really have that sense of camaraderie; that makes a big difference. It's full of energy, it's something that you really never come by in regular competitions. I almost feel like when I'm in the team box, it's like when I was a kid watching the senior-level skaters compete with my junior-level friends at nationals [U.S. Championships], and everyone is happy and excited and bubbly. It's a fun time when we can socialize and cheer on our teammates or whoever is skating."
 
As a veteran on a team that also includes three newcomers to team competition in Frazier, Hawayek and Baker, Chen's goal is to show his teammates how enjoyable team events can be – especially with some help from fellow veteran Brown.
 
"I think that Jason's going to bring the show and the Team USA spirit, which he always does, which I love," Chen said. "I'm just going to enjoy myself and hopefully people seeing me enjoy myself will help them enjoy themselves as well."

Fans can watch World Team Trophy live on Peacock Premium as well as the next day broadcast on NBCSN. See the television schedule for full details.