Chen’s Skate America Reign Ends as Zhou Earns Gold

Chen’s Skate America Reign Ends as Zhou Earns Gold
Vincent Zhou (USA) competes in the men's short program during the 2021 Skate America figure skating competition at Orleans Arena, in Las Vegas, Nev., on Oct .22, 2021 John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

Nathan Chen suffered his first loss since the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics on Saturday as he finished third at Skate America in Las Vegas, where fellow American Vincent Zhou won gold in the first Grand Prix event of the Olympic figure skating season.

Chen, who was seeking a record-setting fifth consecutive Skate America title, was fourth after Friday’s short program and returned to score 186.48 points in the free skate for a 269.37 total that was not enough on a night that belonged to Zhou.