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                                                                                                       sports Diabierna 11 Februari 2022

                             Chen’s near-perfect skate wins long-sought Olympic gold


            (AP) — Nathan Chen remembers  his “Rocketman” program set to the
            making  the  long  drive  with  his  soaring film score by Elton John. The
            mother  from  his  home  in  Utah  statistics and data science major fin-
            to  Rafael  Arutyunyan’s  training  ished with an insurmountable total of
            base  in  Southern  California.  He  332.60 points, just three off his own
            had started out in figure skating  world record and 22 points ahead of
            just a few years earlier, using his  his  closest  competition.  Yuma  Kagi-
            sister’s skates and sleeping in the  yama and Shoma Uno of Japan took
            car to follow his Olympic dreams.   silver and bronze.

            Ten  years  later,  Chen  sat  alongside  Chen also firmly put in the past any
            Arutyunyan  as  his  scores  were  read  lingering memories of his brutal dis-
            and that dream realized.            appointment  four  years  ago  in  Py-
                                                eongchang, when not even a monu-
            With a nearly perfect free skate on the  mental  free  skate  could  rescue  his
            heels  of  a  record-setting  short  pro-  medal hopes after a disastrous short
            gram,  the  22-year-old  Yale  student  program.
            walked away with the gold medal at
            the Beijing Games on Thursday. He  “It  means  the  world,”  he  said.  “I’m
            became  the  first  American  figure  just so happy.”
            skating champion since Evan Lysacek
            in 2010 and capped one of the most  This gold medal might not be the last  on Sunday.                       skating across the placid ice as Kagi-
            dominant four-year runs in the his-  Chen takes home, either.                                               yama’s score was read.
            tory of the sport.                                                      The suave, down-to-earth Chen and
                                                The  Americans,  who  earned  silver  his  Japanese  rivals  separated  them-  With  a  socially  distanced  crowd
            “My mom and I grew up quite poor.  behind the Russians in the team event  selves  from  the  field  during  their  watching  Thursday  afternoon  in
            We really didn’t have much money,”  Monday, were awaiting confirmation  short  programs,  when  Chen  shat-  Beijing, and millions back home on
            Chen said. “She would just scrap to-  from the IOC and International Skat-  tered the world record with a flawless  late-night TV, Chen soared through
            gether some dollars to try to pay Raf,  ing Union that “legal issues” holding  performance to “La Boheme.” When  his opening quad salchow. He landed
            and  Raf  obviously  knew  about  the  up the medal ceremony were related  they took to the ice for the free skate,  four more effortless quads, his only
            situation and thanks to the kindness  to  reports  of  doping  linked  to  their  Kagiyama and Uno made just enough  slight bobble coming on a late com-
            of his heart, was able to just contin-  biggest  star,  Kamila  Valieva.  That  mistakes to clear the way for Chen’s  bination sequence, and couldn’t wipe
            ue taking me in, and taking as much  could  ultimately  elevate  the  U.S.  to  coronation.                 the grin from his face as he seemingly
            money as we could provide him.”     the gold medal, a second for Chen.                                      reached for the sky.
                                                                                    Performing  to  “Bolero,”  one  of  the
            Arutyunyan  would  try  to  give  the  “I mean, I don’t really feel like I’m the  most  popular  musical  selections  of  The lyrics to “Rocketman” that played
            money  back  sometimes,  Chen  said,  most  qualified  person  to  talk  about  the Beijing Games, Uno under-rotat-  through the old home of ping-pong
            “but I would always try to stick it in  it,” Chen said. “Whatever ends up be-  ed a quad salchow and quad toe loop,  diplomacy — “And I think it’s gonna
            his pocket.”                        ing the case will be the case, but I’m  then was dinged for his combination  be a long, long time, ’til touchdown
                                                still wrapped up in what I was able to  spin late in the program to finish with  brings  me  ’round  again”  —  seemed
            On Thursday, Chen was able to give  do today.”                          293 points.                         altogether fitting for the moment.
            his old coach something priceless.
                                                The Salt Lake City native did his part  Then  it  was  the  18-year-old  Kagi-  Chen basked in the spotlight in the
            “I’m happy. Just emotional,” Arutyu-  for  the  American  team  with  a  win-  yama, performing to music from the  middle of the ice, then headed off to
            nyan said. “He made it.”            ning short program last Friday. Vin-  film “Gladiator,” who popped his tri-  hear his scores, which by that point
                                                cent Zhou, who was forced to with-  ple toe loop and triple salchow. It was  were  a  mere  formality.  Once  they
            Inside  historic  Capital  Indoor  Sta-  draw from the individual event due  still  enough  to  score  310.05  points  were  read,  Chen’s  longtime  coach
            dium  in  China,  the  nation  both  his  to a positive COVID-19 test, would  and earn a fist pump in the kiss-and-  raised his arm like a triumphant box-
            parents  immigrated  from,  Chen  also  earn  a  gold  medal  for  the  U.S.  cry area, but not enough to add any  er.
            landed  all  five  of  his  quads  during  because he performed his free skate  pressure  on  Chen,  who  was  calmly


                        Injured Robert Woods still chasing a championship with Rams


            (AP)  —  When  Robert  to  talk  football  with  him  and friends who would nev-       depriving the Rams of a cor-  plans.  Woods  and  Cooper
            Woods walked down onto  amid the confetti and cel-        er  allow  Woods  to  go  alone  nerstone element of their of-  Kupp  —  a  third-round  pick
            the SoFi Stadium field last  ebration.                    through the past three tough  fense for all five seasons since  in  2017,  several  weeks  af-
            month  to  congratulate                                   months, which also included  coach Sean McVay’s arrival.  ter  Woods  signed  with  LA
            the Los Angeles Rams on  Instead,  the  injured  receiver  the  unexpected  death  of  his                          —  have  become  one  of  the
            winning  the  NFC  cham-     had  one  emotional  moment  father.                      Woods believes he has come  NFL’s  most  productive  and
            pionship,  nobody  wanted  after another with teammates                                to terms with the enormous  most  professional  receiving
                                                                      “They  were  all  just,  ‘Come  changes  in  his  life  over  the  duos for both Jared Goff and
                                                                      here,  Ro,  we’re  not  wor-  past three months. He will be  Matthew Stafford.
                                                                      ried  about  all  that,’”  Woods  able to watch Sunday’s game
                                                                      recalled.  “It  meant  so  much  from  the  sideline  knowing  But Woods also plays a signif-
                                                                      for  my  teammates  just  be-  the Rams needed him to get  icant role in the Rams’ locker
                                                                      ing there for me. They have  to this stage, even if he can’t  room  as  a  leader,  a  mentor
                                                                      so  much  going  on  with  the  join them for the final act.  and  an  on-field  example  of
                                                                      football and the Super Bowl,                              professionalism.  With  the
                                                                      and they just stayed support-  Woods  has  racked  up  4,626  USC product’s extensive ties
                                                                      ive and included me.”        yards  receiving,  485  yards  to  his  hometown,  Woods  is
                                                                                                   rushing  and  28  total  touch-  among  Los  Angeles’  most
                                                                      Woods  won’t  get  to  play  in  downs  in  his  half-decade  popular  players  inside  and
                                                                      the  Super  Bowl  this  week-  with  the  Rams  and  McVay,  outside the locker room.
                                                                      end  just  a  few  miles  from  who  has  leaned  heavily  on
                                                                      where he grew up. His torn  Woods’  polished  skills  and  Stafford put it best when he
                                                                      knee ligament sidelined him  athleticism  in  nearly  every  said Woods “is the LA Rams.”
                                                                      for the season in November,  aspect  of  his  offensive  game
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