American figure skater Nathan Chen seeking redemption in Beijing

BEIJING (NEXSTAR/AP) — After a disappointing finish in Pyeongchang, US figure skater Nathan Chen is focused on this next chapter of his Olympic story.

Chen’s time in Beijing is off to a strong start with the skate of his life in the short program of the team event. Now the question is whether he will be able to carry that momentum into the rest of his Olympic program. 

He says he’s focused on now, not what happened four years ago.

The Americans are in first place in the team event with only the women's short program still to come before the field is whittled to five countries for the free skate. The competition resumes Sunday at Capital Indoor Arena in Beijing.

In his first moments on the ice in Beijing, Chen made it clear – he’s not the same skater or the same person he was four years ago.

“This is my second time coming here to the Olympics and I just want to be able to look back on this with fond memories and I’m excited to be here,” says Chen.

Back in Pyeongchang, Chen missed the podium in the individual competition. Already in Beijing, he’s put up his best short program score and the second-best in history.

“Overall, I’m happy, happy with the way the program went, happy just to be here.”

His teammates understand the pressure Chen faces after the disappointment of Pyeonchang.
But they know he’s got what it takes to thrive on the world stage.

“Nathan is out of this world incredible and it's been such an honor and privilege to be able to travel the world with him and compete as his teammate, says Jason Brown, fellow US figure skater. "It has been so cool to see what he has done and even to watch him grow as a person not only as an athlete.”

As for what’s next, Chen says it’s all about moving forward.

“Every competition is different, every practice is different, every run-through is different, take what you can, learn from what you do, learn from mistakes, learn from the good and just continue moving forward.”