Patrick Chan skates during the world figure skating championships on Sunday in Boston.GEOFF ROBINS/AFP / Getty Images
Patrick Chan called the world championship another step in his comeback. A medal, he said, would be a bonus.
But moments after the Canadian's sloppy free skate plummeted him to fifth place Friday night – Chan's worst world finish since 2009 – his emotions spilled out into the bowels of TD Garden.
"Oh yeah. You could hear me down the halls for sure, from in the change room," he said, somewhat sheepishly, the next day. "I wasn't yelling at anybody in particular. Just yelling at myself. Just letting steam out. When you've had the taste of what it feels – not the medal, not the winning – but what near perfection feels like, you're always striving for that. … I was very far from that. That was the main frustration."
The three-time world champion met with the media a day after his free skate, and hinted there might be some changes next season.
When asked about his choreographers – his two programs this season were choreographed by David Wilson – Chan said, "it's in discussion."
Wilson is also Javier Fernandez's choreographer, and his thoroughly entertaining Frank Sinatra free skate Friday not only earned the Spaniard gold but sent the TD Garden crowd into a frenzy.
Chan's ultimate target is the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and perhaps some redemption for his heartbreaking silver medal in Sochi.