Figure skating: Chen tops Uno to take gold in Vancouver Grand Prix

[December 08, 2018]    (Reuters) - American Nathan Chen overcame an early stumble during his free skate to win the Grand Prix figure skating final on Friday in Vancouver, defeating rival Shoma Uno of Japan to take gold for the second consecutive year.

Nathan Chen of the U.S. in action REUTERS/Emmanuel Foudrot/File Photo

Chen finished with a total of 282.42 points, comfortably ahead of Uno's 275.10, with 17-year-old Junhwan Cha of South Korea finishing third with 263.49 points.

"It's a huge honor to be at the final with these two guys," said Chen.

"They have brought a lot to skating and I'm glad to be able to share the ice with them," he said.

"There are a lot of things I can work on and improve."

Chen came into Friday's free skate with a slim lead over Uno after Thursday's short program, where the favorites both made mistakes.

Skating to "Land of All" by Woodkid, Chen nailed his opening quadruple flip before failing to land the following quadruple Lutz.

But the 19-year-old reigning world champion more than made up for his mishap as the program wore on, gaining confidence throughout his routine to seal a decisive victory before a supportive crowd in Western Canada.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

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