Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Canadian figure skater Patrick Chan will not participate in the upcoming NHK Trophy competition after a disastrous free-skate program at Skate Canada last weekend, Skate Canada announced Friday.
NHK was to be Chan's second assignment in the competitive Grand Prix series, in which top skaters participate in two events each to compete for one of six spaces in December's Grand Prix Finals.
While the three-time world champion held second place after his short program at Skate Canada, he struggled to successfully complete a single jump element in the next day's free skate. It started with a fall on an opening quadruple toe loop and gradually fell apart further with four downgraded jump elements.
Chan, 26, dropped to fourth place, leaving room for American Jason Brown, 22, and Russian Alexander Samarin, 19, to take the podium. Worlds silver medalist Shoma Uno, 19, of Japan took home the gold.
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Brown will be competing at the NHK Trophy Nov. 10-12 in Osaka, Japan. With Chan's absence, he may have a chance at the finals.
"It's important to realize that I've never had a skate like that in a big event," Chan said after the free skate. "I think it's part of the process and having ownership of your career, and being successful you've got to have days like this."
Failing to podium at Skate Canada was a major hit for Chan, essentially eliminating a chance for him to participate in the Grand Prix Finals, which start Dec. 7 in Nagoya, Japan. He is choosing to forfeit NHK in favor of more practice time for Canadian nationals, the qualifying event for Canada's Olympic team.
The 2018 Winter Olympics take place in February in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
