NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nathan Chen, quite honestly, didn't have to be here.
As the reigning three-time world champion and five-time national champion, his spot on Team USA – and his status as the Olympic gold medal favorite – would have been secure even if he never stepped on the ice at Bridgestone Arena. He had little to gain.
He decided to come anyways.
"I want to be able to qualify that spot as fair and square as I can," Chen said late last month.
On Sunday, to nobody's surprise, he did just that.
Chen, 22, followed up his electrifying short program with a free skate that wasn't perfect but was just as fun, winning his sixth consecutive national championship and further cementing himself as the man to beat in Beijing.