After a men’s figure skating event full of drama, Patrick Chan will go on to the free program in second place with a score of 97.52. Chan rebounded after a disappointing team event result, and will compete on Feb.14 for a medal.
His Valentine’s Day skate will count for nearly 65 per cent of his final score. That means gold is still a possibility for Chan.
He’ll have to beat out Japanese skater Yuzuru Hanyu, who set a new world record with a score of 101.45. The young Japanese skater has recently emerged as a serious medal threat.
Chan’s chances improved before he even hit the ice when Russian legend Evgeni Pluschenko was forced to withdraw from the competition.
Pluschenko was injured during warmup, and waved an apology to the Russian crowd before stepping off the ice. The crowd was silent, as their hopes of a medal in this event are now dashed. Pluschenko later announced his retirement from figure skating.
Canadian figure skater Kevin Reynolds will move on to the free skate. He is not a medal contender with a score of only 68.76, finishing in 17th place.
