Winter Olympics 2022 - Yuzuru Hanyu ‘shocked’, Nathan Chen ‘elated’ following dramatic short programme

Updated 08/02/2022 at 09:26 GMT

Japanese star Hanyu made a big error in his routine, blaming a divot in the ice for his mistake, and that was compounded when triple world champion Chen achieved a world record score to put the American in control ahead of the free skate on Thursday. Watch every moment of the Games on discovery+.

Watch Chen's spellbinding world record figure skating routine at Beijing 2022

Figure skating great Yuzuru Hanyu says he was totally “shocked” after a disastrous short programme at the Winter Olympics handed momentum to Nathan Chen - who took full advantage by setting a new world record.

Japan’s reigning champion is considered by many to be the greatest skater of all time but delivered a routine full of errors - with one big mistake, during an attempt at a quadruple salchow. After, he blamed the mistake on a divot on the ice.

It was a complete role reversal from four years ago in Pyeongchang, when Chen’s errors helped Hanyu win his second Olympic gold. Since then, the American has won the world title three times and he is now in pole position to take his first Olympic title.

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"I feel really shocked, but I have one more chance,” said Hanyu.

I didn't feel anything bad until take-off. When I took off, I was under some hole, maybe some other skater's toe [loop] or flip or something.

"I used another place in the six-minute warm-up and I felt really good. I just moved a little in the competition with the music and I was under the hole. That was some accident but it's OK."

Hanyu sits eighth, 18 points behind Chen, but he knows the competition is not over yet with a history-making move still due to be attempted. On Thursday, he will try to cleanly execute a quadruple axel - which has never been achieved before in competition. If successful, it would rocket his score and put pressure on the American.

Chen showed his class with a score of 113.97, and after missing out on the individual medals in 2018, he feels it is redemption.

'A little confused' - Hanyu at a loss to explain short programme disaster

"I was just elated. At the last Olympics, both short programmes didn’t go the way that I wanted and finally getting an opportunity to skate the programme the way that I wanted, it feels really great, it means a lot," he said.

"I would say it was pretty close to my best. Obviously, there are always things that you can improve on, there are always things that you can do a little bit better. But overall, I am very happy."

Chen and Hanyu have a respectful but high-profile rivalry, and the American was taking no pleasure in the Japanese athlete’s misfortune: "When I heard that, I was just like, 'stick to my game-plan, nothing changes, focus on what I can do, try to do the best that I can'. Scores, competitors are out of my control."