US figure skater Nathan Chen wins first gold medal at Olympics

Nathan Chen won his first gold medal at the Olympics on Thursday after successfully completing five quadruple jumps in a nearly record-setting program in Beijing.

Chen, 22, won gold in the men’s singles figure skating event at the Capital Indoor Stadium in China for his “Rocketman” program, which earned him a total of 332.60 points, according to The Associated Press. His score was just 3 points off his world record.

Japanese skaters Yuma Kagiyama and Shoma Uno took the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

“I never thought I would actually be able to make this happen,” Chen said, The New York Times reported. “It’s hard. It’s always been a dream, of course. It’s a pretty daunting mountain.”

Chen was the final figure skater to perform, making his performance only more suspenseful. 

“This still hasn’t sunk in,” Chen said, according to the Times.

Chen is the first American figure skating champion at the Games since Evan Lysacek in 2010, the AP noted.

This gold may not be the last for Chen, however. The U.S. Olympic team won silver on Monday, with the Russian team placing first. However, the team is still awaiting confirmation from the International Olympic Committee and International Skating Union that the “legal issues” holding up the medals ceremony were related to reports that Russian skater Kamila Valieva had tested positive for a banned substance, according to the AP. If true, that could mean another gold medal for Chen.

“I don’t really feel like I’m the most qualified person to talk about it,” Chen said. “Whatever ends up being the case will be the case, but I’m still wrapped up in what I was able to do today.”