Musketeer Chen slays all comers at JGP Austria(09/15/2012)

Musketeer Chen slays all comers at JGP Austria

Radionova claims ladies; Jones, Beharry win pairs; Papadakis, Cizeron triumph in dance

American Nathan Chen conquered

 the men's competition by 36.15 points in Linz, Austria. (Tom Briglia)

(09/15/2012) - The U.S. finished strong in Linz, netting three medals on the final day of competition at 2012 JGP Austria.

Nathan Chen blew away his competition and earned the gold medal in his first career Junior Grand Prix event. The 13-year-old Salt Lake City native amassed 222.00 points, including 146.85 for his Three Musketeers free skate.

"Coming into this competition, I really wanted to do the best I could because I had been dreaming about this moment for a long time," Chen said. "I wanted to put everything I had worked hard for into my programs."

Chen, the reigning U.S. junior champion, took a 14-point lead into the free skate and made it 37 by the end of the segment. The program opened strong with a pair of Axels, first a triple then a double, before he reeled off six additional triple jumps in the second half of the skate. His triple flip-triple toe combination was the highest-scoring mark of the competition, earning 11.34 points. Each of the program's 12 elements received position grades of execution (GOE), including two Level 4 spins and a Level 4 step sequence.

Opening the competition with a "Prelude and Allegro" short program, Chen earned 75.15 points and again executed an array of highly technical elements featuring a triple Lutz-triple toe combination worth 11.11 points.

His program components scores were also markedly higher than those of his competitors in both segments.

Looking ahead, Chen said, "I would like to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final and do well at U.S. championships. This competition was an amazing experience."

As a point of reference, the highest score ever recorded in the JGP Final is 219.56 points by American Richard Dornbush in 2010.

Chen was joined on the podium by Japan's Ryuju Hino (185.85 points) and Korea's Jin Seo Kim (175.87 points).

Hino placed third in both the short program and free skate, but ended up finishing second after teammate Sei Kawahara -- who was in second after the short -- fell to seventh place in the free skate and fifth overall. Hino's medal is the second of the season for the three-year JGP competitor. He won bronze at the season's opening event in Courchevel, France.

Kim battled back from a 10th-place showing in the short program to stand on the podium in his first international event.

American Jay Yostanto finished sixth with a total score of 165.74 points.