Chen eclipses Hanyu to set pace at World Figure Skating

SAITAMA, Japan: Reigning champion Nathan Chen stole Yuzuru Hanyu’s thunder Thursday with a sparkling short programme to snatch pole position at the world figure skating championships in Japan.

The American pumped his fist after a flawless skate in Saitama, crushing a quadruple lutz and a quad, triple toe-loop combo on his way to a season’s best 107.40 points — more than 10 points clear of countryman Jason Brown with two-time Olympic champ Hanyu third.

Hanyu, who has just returned from an ankle injury that forced him out of December’s Japanese nationals, took the ice to deafening cheers after kneeling to pray and giving a gentle squeeze to the stuffed Winnie the Pooh he carries with him everywhere.

The 24-year-old fluffed his opening quadruple salchow jump but landed a quad lutz, triple toe-loop combination and a triple axel measured at an eye-popping 70 centimetres in height to persuade the judges to award him 94.87 points.

A strong finish triggered an avalanche of toy bears from his adoring fans — many of them dressed as Winnie the Pooh — but Brown surpassed Hanyu’s score with a superbly executed, quad-free routine to earn 96.81 points ahead of the weekend’s free skate. That, however, never looked enough to win the short programme from the moment Chen nailed his opening quad lutz. “These two guys have pushed me to be a better skater,” said Chen, flanked by Hanyu and Brown. “I like to tell myself everything I’ve done in the past — good or bad — stays in the past,” added the 19-year-old.