Patrick Chan 3rd after short program at world championships
Canadian star says medal would be 'bonus' in comeback year
Three years after Patrick Chan last competed at the world figure skating championships, the Canadian star is poised to capture a medal.
The 25-year-old from Toronto was third in the short program Wednesday night, and moments after he struck his final pose, he said a medal would be a "bonus," a thick layer of icing on a strong comeback season after an 18-month break from the sport.
"I think I've exceeded my expectations this year," Chan said. "This is a comeback year. There's been a lot that I can be happy with, and the work that Kathy (Johnson, his coach) and I have done together has exceeded everybody's expectations.
"So this is truly a bonus, no matter where I end up. This is a bonus, and now I'm doing it for me. And that's it."
Earlier, Canadian ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje were fourth in the short dance.
Chan, a three-time world champion, scored 94.84 points, opening with a beautiful quad toe-loop, triple toe-loop combination, but then falling on his triple Axel, drawing groans from the TD Garden crowd.
Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan was first with 110.56 points, while defending world champion Javier Fernandez of Spain was second with 98.52.
'Not disappointed at all'
"I feel good, I feel happy, not disappointed at all," Chan said — and looked like he genuinely meant it. "With all the buzz here at worlds, it's been two world championships I haven't been here, I haven't been used to this high energy and high expectation."
Chan, dressed in a purple sweater vest and grey slacks, drew roars from the fans, many of them waving Canadian flags, with his program to Michael Buble's Mack the Knife.
The Axel was his one misstep, a mistake made because he rushed the jump, and slipped on his left takeoff foot.
Johnson was proud of Chan's comeback performance. The sport, she hinted, has missed him in his absence.
"At the end of the day, Patrick is special," Johnson said. "Really special in a way that no other skater (is), he brings special things to the ice, beyond jumping.
"It's a process to get back, it's a process to compete, it's a process to put it together in the moment. And I think honestly this season has almost exceeded what we were kind of hoping and expecting. So that's a testament to his talent and his hard work. He's a hard, hard worker, so it's nice to see him put it together in the moment."
The men's singles free skate is Friday.