Skate America 2020 Results: Nathan Chen Dazzles in Men’s Short Program

David Becker/Associated Press

Mariah Bell, Nathan Chen and the pairs team of Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Brandon Frazier were the big winners on Friday at Skate America in Las Vegas. 

Bell and Chen finished first in the women’s and men’s short programs, respectively, while Scimeca Knierim and Frazier were No. 1 in pairs.

Skate America is the first event in the 2020 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. This year’s series will feature the Cup of China, the 2020 Rostelecom Cup, the 2020 NHK Trophy and the Grand Prix Final.

Results, recaps and highlights from Friday can be found below encompassing all events completed through 1 a.m. ET, with the rhythm dance the one event remaining at that time.

Women’s Short Program

1. Mariah Bell (USA): 76.48

2. Bradie Tennell (USA): 73.29

3. Audrey Shin (USA): 69.77

4. Karen Chen (USA): 68.13

5. Amber Glenn (USA): 67.85

6. Paige Rydberg (USA): 63.91

7. Lin Shan (CHN): 59.29

8. Sierra Venetta (USA): 59.28

9. Finley Hawk (USA): 59.12

10. Starr Andrews (USA): 57.20

11. Pooja Kalyan (USA):  55.50

12. Gracie Gold (USA): 46.36

Men’s Short Program

1. Nathan Chen (USA): 111.17

2. Vincent Zhou (USA): 99.36

3. Keegan Messing (CAN): 92.40

4. Tomoki Hiwatashi (USA): 87.17

5. Alex Krasnozhon (USA): 78.06

6. Aleksei Bychenko (ISR): 77.48

7. Ilya Malinin (USA): 76.75

8. Maxim Naumov (USA): 70.91

9. Camden Pulkinen (USA): 69.09

10. Joseph Kang (USA): 68.08

11. Jimmy Ma (USA): 63.36

12. Daniel Samohin (ISR): 61.60

Pairs, Short Program

1. Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Brandon Frazier (USA): 74.19

2. Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson (USA): 71.08

3. Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov (USA): 67.52

4. Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy Leduc (USA): 64.21

5. Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea (USA): 59.86

6. Olivia Serafini and Mervin Tran (USA): 59.67

7. Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe (USA): 55.58

8. Anna Verinkov and Evgeni Krasnopolski (Israel): 48.23

Results via U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Bell Takes First in Women’s Short Program

Bell edged out Bradie Tennell by just 3.19 points for the victory:

Bell was able to come away with the win even after being forced to call a late wardrobe audible:

Nick McCarvel of the Olympic Channel praised her efforts:

He also called her skating performance “sensational” and “effortless.”

It was a night to remember for Tennell as well, who nearly came away with the win.

Tennell spoke afterward about her increased confidence during her routine on Saturday, per FigureSkatersOnline:

“I feel like now that I’m older, I have more confidence in myself and I’m able to portray this fierceness [in her short] better than I was when I was a little bit younger. And it’s just really fun for me to be able to show that and perform that.”

Audrey Shin edged Karen Chen and Amber Glenn for third.

Chen Dominates Men’s Short Program Field

Chen hadn’t skated in nine months, but he was excellent on Friday evening en route to defeating his next-closest competitor, Vincent Zhou, by nearly 12 points.

He dazzled in an empty Orleans Arena in Las Vegas:

Chen was pleased with his performance, per post-event comments:

Per Trisha Nguyen and Jamie Richardson of the Yale Daily News, Chen danced to music from the 1995 film Desperado starring Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas. His free skate Saturday will feature music from American composer Philip Glass.

“I’ve never done this style of program,” Chen said in his press conference, per OlympicTalk.
“There’s still a lot of work and improvement to be done. I did the best that I can, considering that this is still very new to me.”

However, Chen looked quite comfortable during the routine en route to a great finish.

Scimeca Knierim, Frazier Set Bar High in Pairs

Scimeca Knierim and Frazier formed the first pair to skate on Friday, and their performance proved too strong for the rest of the competition, beating second-place finishers Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson by 3.11 points. 

The two were making their international debut as a pair, but they looked phenomenal en route to finishing first:

Scimeca Knierim used to skate with her husband, Christopher Knierim, but he stepped away from the sport this year.

She then began teaming with Frazier, whose partnership with Haven Denney ended earlier in 2020.

Scimeca Knierim and Frazier looked like they have been skating for years, however, en route to taking first.