SAN JOSE — Karen Chen had to wait and wait before her moment at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at SAP Center.
“I’m not going to lie, I was extremely nervous,” she said after being the last of 22 skaters Wednesday night in the women’s short program.
Take a deep breath. Skate free.
After a rocky season filled with doubt, the Fremont teenager righted herself just in time to put herself in contention to make the 2018 Winter Olympics team.
Chen, 18, scored a season-best 69.48 points to finish third in the short program behind stunning performances from leader Bradie Tennell and second-place Mirai Nagasu.
Another Bay Area skater, Polina Edmunds, had to go first in her comeback from a two-year ordeal with a foot injury. The San Jose Olympian also soared, finishing an impressive seventh place after landing all of her jumps.
“Honestly, going into this I felt great,” Edmunds said. “I knew I was going to be done the fastest. So, much less anxiety and nerves.”
The one with nerves is three-time U.S. champion Ashley Wagner, who is fifth heading into the all-important free skate Friday night. Wagner will need a big-time performance to her new “La La Land” routine to prove to the selection committee she belongs on her second Olympic team.
“It’ll be an interesting position because in years past I’ve been the clear frontrunner internationally and I just have had a really difficult season and I am in no way, shape or form expecting to rely on my past experience,” she said.
Wagner, 26, probably needs to finish no lower than fourth overall to earn serious Olympic consideration.
Many had doubts about Chen, the defending U.S. champion who finished fourth at the 2017 World Championships.
She changed her programs and music three times, signaling a sense of panic in the Olympic season. Her Grand Prix results at Skate Canada and Skate America in the fall were spotty at best.
But coach Tammy Gambill said before the championships that her skater was ready to soar.
Wearing an angelic white costume, Chen looked luminous floating to her On Golden Pond routine that served her so well last season.
“I always put a great deal of pressure on myself,” she said of the short program. “You want to do a good short to build your confidence.”
Chen stepped out of a triple toe loop in a combination jump for a potentially disastrous opening.
Then everything just clicked.
The skater Gambill sees in practice surfaced on the shimmering ice.
“I’m glad I didn’t land on my butt,” said Chen, who moved to Riverside in 2013 to train under Gambill. “But there were some little mistakes that I can fix for the long program.”
Her score Wednesday night was just short of the personal best of 69.98 points at the ‘17 World Championships in Helsinki.
Nagasu, 24, missed on her signature triple axel but didn’t let it get into her head with a commanding performance to Chopin’s “Nocturne in C Sharp Minor.” Like Tennell she recorded a personal-best score for a short program.
“I made a mistake, but everyone makes mistakes,” she said. “I was so nervous and I fought against my own nerves and I feel very good.”
When she stepped out of the axel, Nagasu noted, “Wow, I’m a cat; I’m still on my feet. I thought to myself, ‘It’s not over yet.’ The music was still playing.”
Angela Wang is fourth and Mirah Bell sixth. But it appears the three Olympic positions will come down to Tennell, Nagasu, Chen and Wagner.
The team will be announced at 5 a.m. Pacific on NBC Sports.
Tennell had a personal-best 73.79 points to win the short program and continues to look like the top U.S. competitor this season.
She placed third at Skate America last month and one more strong performance Friday in the free skate should be enough to earn a berth to the Pyeongchang Games that open Feb. 9 in South Korea.
The growing expectations haven’t bothered the Illinois teenager.
“Going on the ice is the exciting part for me,” said Tennell, 19.
Edmunds also couldn’t wait to perform. The skating world had forgotten about the 2014 Olympian who had not competed in a major event since 2016.
Edmunds landed three triple jumps and a double axel to remind everyone that she’s back. The Santa Clara University sophomore had a respectable total of 63.78 points.
“She showed her champion mind,” said Nina Edmunds, her mother and coach. “A clean program is what everyone wants.”
The audience in San Jose got plenty of it to kick off the championships senior competition.
