Is Nathan Chen 'unbeatable?' We'll find out at 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

The words landed Scott Hamilton "in some trouble," he said.

The 1984 men's figure skating gold medalist sticks by them to this day, though, those words he has repeated about Nathan Chen.

Chen is the favorite to take home the title this weekend in Nashville at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which would be his sixth. He's the favorite to win his first gold medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing next month.

"When Nathan Chen is on his game, meaning he skates to his potential, he's unbeatable," Hamilton told the Tennessean. "Like, virtually, literally unbeatable."

For Chen, and many others, skating in Nashville will be a case of out with the new and in with the old. Because COVID-19 has ravaged the skating schedule, Chen said he's pretty certain he'll stick with familiar programs — Aznavour's "La Boheme" for his short program and an Elton John medley for his free skate.

With that music to his ears, the 22-year-old set world records in the free skate and combined score at the 2019 Grand Prix Final.

"Y'all will see what you'll see," Chen said with a chuckle when asked whether he would use those programs in Nashville. "Just the connection. Every time you get to perform a program you know whether or not it makes sense or where it just feels right."

Chen hinted those songs might not remain the same after this weekend. But first things first.

Hamilton pointed to Chen's ability to perform quads as one of his biggest advantages going into nationals and the Olympics.

Chen said he's spent some time on the ice with 2010 Olympic champion Evan Lysacek, which has helped shaped his perspective when it comes to the pressures of being an Olympic favorite.

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“The conversations were pretty brief, but just sharing some of the worries or things that I’ve dealt with over the past few years, the similar things that he’s dealt with," Chen said.

The U.S. Olympic team will be chosen by a committee that will consider Nashville, international events and the 2021 U.S. and world championships.

"Unless he's having an off week or unless he's injured, unless he's out of sync," Hamilton said. "He's going to be able to do as many quads as he wants, and it's going to be artistically balanced and strong. ... Last I checked, the one who scores the most points wins. ... His game is built to do just that."

It's a game Hamilton and fellow Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski, who famously upset Michelle Kwan at nationals in Nashville in 1997, recognized early.

Lipinski will have a close-up view of the competition from behind the mic at Bridgestone Arena as part of NBC's broadcast team.

"Watching him as a novice champion come out at nationals as a kid, thinking, 'Oh my goodness, what a magnificent talent,'" Lipinski told The Tennessean. "Now over the years, every single year I've watched him develop into this incredible champion and this dominant force in men's skating that has changed the game forever."

Chen, a Salt Lake City native, has big plans after the Olympics, too. Win or lose, a return to classes at Yale is on the agenda. There he will continue to pursue his major in statistics and data science.

After that, who knows? For now, Chen is focused on trying to become the first men's skater in 70 years to win six national titles and trying to win his first Olympic gold medal.

"My future is still pretty undecided," Chen said. "Whether I want to continue or I don't. I am looking forward to going back to school. In this current moment, I'm enjoying what I'm doing."

And Hamilton is enjoying watching him.

"He's won at every level," Hamilton said. "He stole the show in the 2008 nationals as a novice. He's really built his skating in a unique way. He was very forward-thinking and the way he learned how to rotate. When it came time for quads to be the focus he was doing things no one else could do."

If Chen is able to do that this weekend and next month, Hamilton said, the rest of the men's figure skaters might be in trouble.

Reach Paul Skrbina at pskrbina@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @PaulSkrbina.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Scott Hamilton: Nathan Chen unbeatable going into Beijing Olympics