Keegan Messing secures 2nd Olympic figure skating spot for Canada in men’s singles

Nathan Chen put himself in the company of history’s best figure skaters, becoming the first American since Scott Hamilton to win a third consecutive men’s title at the world figure skating championships in Stockholm.

Chen was dynamic in easily surpassing two-time Olympic champ Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan in the free skate and stamp himself as the man to beat at next year’s Beijing Olympics. Indeed, Hanyu struggled enough Saturday to fall to third place behind 17-year-old countryman Yuma Kagiyama, who took silver in his first senior worlds.

Keegan Messing placed sixth for his best-ever performance at the event and locked up a second spot in men’s singles for Canada at next year’s Beijing Olympics by finishing inside the top 10. 

No one has had the jumping mastery of Chen. His “Quad King” reputation is well founded, and he landed his five four-rotation jumps with what NBC analyst Johnny Weir dubbed “technical wizardry.” But there was more to it: an intensity, even a ferocity, as if Chen was conquering each quad rather than simply completing them. Plus a balance of artistry and technique that has improved since 2017, when Chen won his first of five successive U.S. titles.

WATCH | Messing places personal-best 6th at worlds:

Keegan Messing of Canada skated to a sixth place finish Saturday after his Free Program at the World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. 8:05

Even the look on his face at the conclusion of his free skate was intensely focused rather than celebratory.

Besides, Chen had to await Hanyu’s performance, which was, for the Japanese star, rather pedestrian. He opened up on two jumps, had sloppy landings on others, and seemed to know it was not nearly enough when he shook his head before taking a bow and leaving the ice.

Hamilton won four successive worlds from 1981-84. Since then, three others (Canada’s Kurt Browning and Patrick Chan, Russia’s Alexei Yagudin) have three in a row.

A fourth-place finish for Mikhail Kolyada assured Russia, which is having an outstanding worlds, of three men’s spots at Beijing. The United States and Japan also are assured that.

Later Saturday is the free dance to finish the first worlds since 2019. Last year’s event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

THAT FIGURE SKATING SHOW | Javier Fernandez discusses Yuma Kagiyama:

On today’s live episode of ‘That Figure Skating Show’, 2015 & 2016 world champion Javier Fernandez joined Dylan & Asher to talk the men’s skates and was in awe of the stacked field coming out of Japan. 2:03