In his final practice before skating for the Olympic gold medal, Nathan Chen made sure to take in the moment.
He stood alone at the edge of the rink in Beijing and looked around at the stands and the arena, and at the Olympic rings at every turn. Unlike at the 2018 Winter Games when he finished fifth overall, he is appreciating the experience of competing at the Olympics, win or lose.
And this time he won, unlike last time when his tunnel vision was focused only on the gold.
With jet-fueled quadruple jumps and a performance to an Elton John medley that raised goose bumps, Chen, 22, shouted loudly and clearly to all of the Beijing Games — and the world — that he has been the best skater around for more than three years and that nothing has changed.