American journalist Philip Hersh recently tweeted that he was told to expect significant changes to both of Nathan Chen’s programs prior to the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix Final next month in Japan by the figure skater’s coach Rafael Arutyunyan.
The tweet reads, “Nathan Chen’s coach, Rafael Arutunian, just told me there will be major changes in three-time world champion Nathan Chen’s short and free programs before the Grand Prix Final Dec. 9-12 in Osaka, Japan. Stay tuned…”
Bronze medalist in the team event at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Chen is viewed as the main favorite in the men’s event at the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics – his short program during this Olympic season is set to a combination of Eternity and Nemesis by Benjamin Clementine, and his free skate program is to Piano Concerto No. 23 and Lacrimosa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The ISU Grand Prix Final will be held from December 9 to 12 in Osaka, Japan. Three-time reigning World champion Chen has already qualified for the competition having won a bronze medal at Skate America in the second half of October – Chen’s first non-gold medal at an individual event since the 2018 Winter Olympics – and then winning gold at Skate Canada International the following week.
The Skating Times 