BEIJING — Nathan Chen allowed himself a small laugh, a rare indulgence that was four years in the making.
Having banished the dread that strangled him at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and contributed to his glaring missteps in the short program phase of both the team and individual events, Chen was at his powerful, expressive best on Friday during his short program in the team event in Beijing. He was light but made a weighty statement by cleanly landing two quadruple jumps and compiling a personal-best score of 111.71 points. He was attentive to every detail in his performance to "La Boheme" at Capital Indoor Stadium but skated freely, fully present and enjoying each moment in ways he couldn't enjoy them four years ago.
Chen, who trains at Great Park Ice in Irvine, Calif., had looked forward to this moment and was ready for it. That wasn't true four years ago. The difference was apparent to no one more than Chen, the three-time world champion and six-time U.S. champion who was expected to boost the U.S. team's hopes of exceeding its two bronze-medal finishes in the team event before he challenges two-time Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan for the men's individual title.
