Nathan Chen scores world-record 113.97 points in short program at Beijing Olympics

Four years after his disastrous Olympic debut, Nathan Chen continued his redemption mission on Tuesday with a dominant, world-record-setting performance during the men's short program in Beijing and holds a commanding lead after the first day of competition.

Much like he was in 2018, Chen is a favorite for gold at these Olympic Games, but this time there has been no sign of nerves or pressure. The 22-year-old had a nearly flawless performance and recorded the top score of the day at 113.97 — also the highest short program score in figure skating history.

Even the normally stoic Chen couldn't hide his emotions at the end of his routine as he gave an impassioned fist pump.

«I was elated,» Chen said in an interview on the NBC broadcast. «Last Olympics, both short programs didn't go the way I wanted and to finally get the opportunity to skate the programs the way that I wanted — it feels really great. It means a lot.»

Just days after finishing first in the men's short program during the team event, helping lift the Americans to a silver medal, Chen made it clear he was no longer haunted by what had happened in Pyeongchang, where he fell in the short program of both competitions.

Since then he's won three world championship titles and now just the free skate — and a trio of Japanese skaters in Yuma Kagiyama, Shoma Uno and Yuzuru Hanyu — stand in his way of a coveted Olympic gold medal.

The 18-year-old Kagiyama had a surprising second-place finish in the short program with a 108.12 score, and Uno, who took home the silver in 2018, currently sits in third.

Hanyu, the reigning two-time gold medalist who owned the previous short program world mark, was expected to be Chen's fiercest competitor for the top spot on the podium. But