“It’s part of the experience, part of the Olympics,” he said.

Chan and Chen, who both skated in the second group of five, occupy opposite ends of the competitive spectrum. Chan, 27, won the first of three consecutive world championships in 2011 when Chen was 11 years old and one year removed from a championship in the novice men’s event at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Chen’s first Olympics will be the last for Chan, who told Canadian reporters earlier in the week that his goal was to exit the ice feeling “really proud” of his performance. He said he had never skated a clean program in the Olympics and would like to rectify that before he retires. Chan did not achieve his goal on Friday, falling on a quadruple toe and triple axel.

Chan said the early start threw him off a little. “You have to take that into account,” he said.

But Chen, the reigning two-time U.S. men’s champion, gave himself no such out. He said he was prepared to skate well and was disappointed that he let his teammates down. “I need to just recalculate everything in my head and do a better job,” he said.