Olympics

17-Year-Old American Skater Manages an Olympic First

Vincent Zhou lands quadruple lutz

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Zhou's quadruple lutz.

(YouTube)

(NEWSER) – A 17-year-old American figure skater has pulled off a move that nobody else has landed cleanly in the 94-year history of the Winter Olympics. In the men's short program, Vincent Zhou landed a quadruple lutz, which "requires four rotations after a jump from the outside of one foot, with the skater landing on the outside of their other foot," per Deadline. "The quad lutz is the most difficult quad currently achievable in this entire sport," Zhou told NBC after scoring 84.53 and qualifying for the next round. "It's pretty cool to be able to do one."

Zhou is the youngest member of Team USA, born months after fellow 17-year-olds Chloe Kim and Red Gerard, who both won snowboarding golds this week, Sports Illustrated reports. The teen, who grew up in California and started skating when he was five, tells USA Today that he's "not a typical 17-year-old" and he prefers "to stay home and read and reflect and just kind of do calm things that I enjoy doing." Asked about his Olympics so far, he said: "The wildest moment so far is being blown around by the wind, especially because I weigh 130 pounds. If it had blown any harder, I would probably have a concussion."