BEIJING —

Nathan Chen completed his four-year journey toward an elusive Olympic gold medal Thursday, following his record short program at the Beijing Games with a near-perfect free skate that earned him a standing ovation from supporters inside historic Capital Indoor Stadium.

The 22-year-old star landed all five of his quads during his “Rocketman” program, set to the soaring film score by Elton John, to finish with 332.60 points — just three off his own world record — and become the first American champion since Evan Lysacek stood on the top of the podium in 2010 in Vancouver.

Chen's score easily outdistanced his two closest pursuers, Yuma Kagiyama and Shoma Uno of Japan, and put firmly in the past any lingering memories of his brutal disappointment four years ago in Pyeongchang.

It might not be the last gold medal Chen takes home, either.

The Americans, who earned silver behind Russia in the team event Monday, were awaiting confirmation from the IOC and International Skating Union that “legal issues” holding up the medal ceremony were related to reports of doping linked to their biggest star, Kamila Valieva. That could ultimately elevate the U.S. to the top step of the podium.

BEIJING —

Nathan Chen has been building toward this for years. He's one good free skate away from Olympic gold.

After setting a world record with his short program, Chen goes for an Olympic title Wednesday. It could be a big day for the United States, with Chloe Kim also expected to contend for a snowboarding gold medal.

Here are some things to watch (all times Eastern):

Figure skating

Not only did Chen perform superbly in the short program, his rival, Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu, was eighth. That made Chen's path to gold even clearer. Chen, a three-time world champion, finished fifth at the 2018 Olympics but now appears poised to take Hanyu's crown.

"You can never really count out any of these athletes. The competition’s not one program," Chen said. "Whatever happens in the short program is not indicative of what will happen in the free program."

Snowboarding

American Chloe Kim has won gold in the women's halfpipe at the Beijing Olympics.

She turned in a strong opening run as she easily defended her Olympic halfpipe title.

The last rider to drop into the halfpipe, and the contest already over, the 21-year-old American still attempted to go big one last time.

She fell, quickly got back up and casually glided the rest of the way down the halfpipe Thursday as the Olympic champion. She greeted her fellow medalists at the bottom with an embrace.

The only real drama was for second place, with 32-year-old Queralt Castellet of Spain taking silver at her fifth appearance at the Olympic Games. Sena Tomita of Japan held off Cai Xuetong of China for bronze.

No one was matching Kim’s height or demanding array of tricks. Not after an opening performance that featured a variety of different spins and rotations, including a front and backside 1080 (three spins each). That flawless run even appeared to surprised her as she covered her mouth in excitement. She later told her coach it was the best one she’s done.

Short track drama

Maybe it was inevitable, but there's already been some contentiousness over the short track speedskating results. South Korea filed complaints with the International Skating Union and the International Olympic Committee after two of its skaters were disqualified in the semifinals of the men's 1,000 meters. South Korea’s chef de mission, Yoon Hong Geun, said fans in South Korea are so upset that they are urging the team to return home immediately.

The 2022 Winter Olympics officially kicks off with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, but ahead of that, there’s major action in Beijing happening today. Video above: Can you ace this Olympics quiz?Nathan Chen is one of the favorites at the Games for Team USA. The three-time world champion figure skater is set to hit the ice in the men’s team event in NBC Primetime. Others on his team include ice dancers Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue and the pair of Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier. NBCOlympics.com has a round-up on everything you need to know about figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics here. Other events taking place in Beijing on Thursday include more mixed doubles curling, Alpine skiing training and women’s hockey. The Opening Ceremony will then take place early Friday morning.Freestyle Skiing: USA's Kauf, Giaccio, Soar advance straight to moguls finals We’ll share livestream info for today's events below. But first, here are some highlights from what happened on Wednesday and early Thursday morning on Day -1 at the Olympics.USA's Kauf, Giaccio, Soar advance straight to moguls finals: Americans Jaelin Kauf, Olivia Giaccio and Hannah Soar placed third, fourth and seventh in their qualifying round women's moguls, moving straight to the finals; Jakara Anthony and Perrine Laffont topped the round.Italy defeats Team USA in mixed doubles curling: Italy overcame mistakes to best the U.S. mixed doubles curling team in the second round of play at the 2022 Winter Olympics.U.S. women take down Finland in first game of 2022 Olympics: The U.S. women's hockey team took down Finland in their first game of the 2022 Winter Olympics by a score of 5-2 as both Kendall Coyne Schofield and Alex Carpenter finished the day with a pair of goals each. | RELATED | Daily Olympic Recap: USA tops Finland in women's hockey openerHere are livestreams for notable events happening on Thursday Network Olympic livestreamsWatch USA network coverage of hockey and curling starting at 2 p.m. PT hereWatch NBC primetime coverage of figure skating starting at 8 p.m. PT hereOlympic event livestreamsCurling mixed doubles round robin: Watch Sweden vs. Australia at 7:35 p.m ET hereCurling mixed doubles round robin: Watch Canada vs. Switzerland at 7:35 p.m ET hereCurling mixed doubles round robin: Watch Italy vs. Norway at 7:35 p.m ET hereFigure skating team event Day 1: Watch Team USA take to the ice with coverage starting at 8:55 p.m ET hereAlpine skiing training: Watch men’s downhill at 10 p.m. ET hereHockey women’s prelim: Watch ROC vs. Switzerland at 11:10 p.m ET hereHockey women’s prelim: Watch Denmark vs. China at 11:10 p.m ET hereCurling mixed doubles round robin: Watch China vs.Canada at 12:35 a.m ET hereCurling mixed doubles round robin: Watch Great Britain vs. Australia at 12:35 a.m. ET hereCurling mixed doubles round robin: Watch Sweden vs USA (Vicky Persinger and Chris Plys) at 12:35 a.m. ET hereCurling mixed doubles round robin: Watch the Czech Republic vs. Italy at 12:35 a.m ET hereHow to watch the Winter Olympics' Opening CeremonyThe Opening Ceremony will air live on WLWT and in NBC primetime and Peacock at 6:55 a.m. ET. You can also stream it via NBCOlympics.com and in the NBC Sports app after authentication.Daylong coverage of the Olympics will culminate with NBC's special primetime presentation of the Opening Ceremony from 7:30 p.m. ET on WLWT-TV and Peacock.The NBC broadcast will feature:Performances, pageantry and the Parade of AthletesExtensive coverage of Team USA, including athlete interviews with Johnson and TafoyaDwayne Johnson introducing Team USALeslie Odom Jr. telling the story of the hopes and dreams of Olympians in an opening vignetteUma Thurman narrating a special feature leading into the Parade of AthletesMore 2022 Winter Olympics headlinesMeet the Olympians with ties to Greater Cincinnati competing in BeijingHere's who is qualified for Team USA at the 2022 Winter OlympicsNew faces to watch at the 2022 Winter GamesInternational athletes to watch at the 2022 Winter OlympicsWhat are the new events for the 2022 Winter Olympics?Day-by-day guide to the 2022 Winter OlympicsWinter Olympics 101: Become an expert in every sportUSA women’s hockey takes down Finland in first game at 2022 Olympics, but at a potentially significant costBrianna Decker stretchered off ice during USA vs. Finland women’s hockey gameShiffrin's late father was fixture on hill behind camera --This story also contains information from NBCOlympics.