Olympic champion Nathan Chen pulls out of world skating meet

Gold medallist USA’s Nathan Chen celebrates during the venue ceremony of the men’s single figure skating event during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on February 10, 2022. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)

Reigning men’s Olympic and world champion Nathan Chen of the United States on Wednesday withdrew from next week’s world figure skating championships in France.

Chen captured Winter Olympic gold last month in Beijing but will not make a bid for his fourth consecutive world title due to an unspecified injury.

“I am disappointed to have to withdraw from worlds,” Chen said. “I have been training for this competition since returning from Beijing.

“I have a nagging injury that I’ve been dealing with and I don’t want to risk further injury by practicing and competing next week.”

Chen’s spot on the US squad for the world championships, to be contested March 21-27 at Montpellier, France, will be taken by Camden Pulkinen, who will make his debut at the event.

Chen, a six-time US national champion at age 22, is nicknamed the “Quad King” after becoming the first skater to land eight quadruple jumps in a single competition, doing so at the 2018 worlds.