Ashley Wagner won her third US Women’s Figure Skating title Saturday, but also getting a number of accolades was third place finisher Karen Chen of Fremont, CA, reports Team USA (photo by Megan Caplan).
The 15-year-old beat her career best by 20 points and stunned the skating world. NBC skating commentators Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir said during the televised competition that Chen has the potential to challenge the Russian greats such as 2014 Olympic gold medalist Adelina Sotnikova.
At just 15-years old, she is not old enough to qualify for the Senior World Championship competition. She will compete in the Junior World Championships instead and should be the favorite.
She broke her ankle in late 2013 and admits her confidence has been a problem.
“I’ve been struggling a little bit with my confidence and believing in myself, and I feel like a few months ago I finally felt like I can stand my ground and I can finally believe in myself and just go do what I can do,” Chen said.
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