Chen closing in on gold, US curlers begin title defense

By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer

BEIJING (AP) — 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 live in prime time on Wednesday night. That could be a big day for the United States. Snowboarder Chloe Kim is also expected to contend for a gold medal. The U.S. men’s curling team begins its Olympic title defense when it opens round-robin play against the Russians.