What figure skater entered the 2018 Olympics undefeated in the season?

Nathan Chen entered the 2018 Olympics undefeated during the 2017–18 figure-skating season. The American had won every competition he entered before the PyeongChang Games, including the Grand Prix Final and his second U.S. national title.

Chen’s reputation rested on his extraordinary technical difficulty. He became known as the “Quad King” for attempting multiple quadruple jumps, including a historic five in one free skate at the 2017 U.S. Championships. His consistency and high-scoring jumps made him the leading American contender for Olympic gold.

The Olympics, however, did not extend his winning streak. Chen struggled in both the team event and the individual short program, falling on several jumps. He recovered with a spectacular free skate and finished fifth individually, while helping the United States win bronze in the team event.

A common mix-up is confusing Chen’s undefeated pre-Olympic season with an undefeated Olympic performance. His unbeaten run ended at PyeongChang, but he later won Olympic individual gold at Beijing 2022 and three world titles.