Some of the top men’s figure skaters can already call themselves medalists at these Games. Team USA’s Nathan Chen, Canada’s Patrick Chan, and Mikhail Kolyada, an Olympic Athlete from Russia, will all contest the men’s event after making their 2018 debuts in the team event. In their quest for medals n the men’s event, they will face a bigger – and more competitive – field.
Here are some names to know before the event kicks off:
Nathan Chen, Team USA
Buzz about Chen: Chen is the only skater to master five different types of quads: toe loop, Salchow, flip, loop and Lutz. Combined with his improving artistic skills and Vera Wang-designed costumes, he is a threat for the podium… maybe even gold.
Adam Rippon, Team USA
Season so far: Rippon earned a bronze medal at his season opener in Finland and then captured silver medals at his two Grand Prix assignments in Japan and the U.S. He qualified for the Grand Prix Final, where he placed fifth. Then, he placed fourth at the U.S. Nationals; his body of work the past season was strong enough to place him on the 2018 Olympic team.
Vincent Zhou, Team USA
Credentials: 2017 world junior champion, 2018 U.S. national bronze medalist, 2017 U.S. national silver medalist
Buzz about Zhou: He is the youngest member of Team USA across all sports.
Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan
Credentials: 2014 Olympic gold medalist, 2014 and 2017 world champion, four-time Grand Prix Final gold medalist, four-time Japanese national champion
Read the full preview here and live stream men’s short program on NBCOlympics.com