Day 6 of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Team USA's Nathan Chen won gold after a flawless free skate routine at the men's figure skating singles on Thursday, establishing his status as titan of the sport. He also became the first American since Evan Lysacek in 2010 to win a men's figure skating gold medal.

The 22-year-old star went into today's event in first place after a world record breaking performance at the short program earlier this week.

His long program opened with a quadruple flip, followed by a triple toe loop. He nailed every jump and move, with a total of five quad jumps, including a quadruple lutz — illustrating why he's commonly called the "quad king."

His joyful and energetic routine was set to a medley of songs, including Elton John's "Rocket Man." Every jump he performed was met with roaring cheers and claps from athletes and other spectators in the closed loop side of the stadium — though the other side, holding Chinese spectators, remained largely silent, according to CNN reporters in the stadium.

Chen was awarded a massive score of 218.63 — the highest of the season. That makes his total score 332.60.

Japan's Yuma Kagiyama took silver, with his compatriot Shoma Uno earning bronze. Chen's main rival coming into the Games, Yuzuru Hanyu, finished fourth.

When people think of the beloved Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen, the panda's round figure and shiny ice suit come to mind.

A deep masculine voice, it seems, does not — but that's what people got on Tuesday when the mascot began talking on national TV in China, much to public displeasure.

The mascot — or rather, an inflatable suit version of Bing Dwen Dwen — began speaking on state broadcaster CCTV during an interview with Chinese freeskier Yang Shuorui. To people's surprise, it was a male voice that emerged from the suit — and they quickly took to social media to complain.

"Bing Dwen Dwen started talking, I was so disillusioned," another Weibo user wrote. Others agreed, calling the voice "disgusting" and saying they couldn't finish watching.

Some even pointed out that Olympic mascots are banned from talking under International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules, to maintain a gender neutral status. The Beijing Olympic Committee had signed a contract with the IOC prohibiting Bing Dwen Dwen from talking, according to state-run news outlet Procuratorate Daily.

Censors tried to stem the outcry, banning certain hashtags on Weibo like "Bing Dwen Dwen started talking." The program, which had been promoted ahead of its run, was pulled from the CCTV website on Wednesday.

Japanese all-time great Yuzuru Hanyu fell attempting the fabled quadruple axel in his free skate Thursday — as he desperately tried to pull his score up.

The "Ice Prince" came into the competition in eighth place today after a sub-par show in the short program Tuesday.

The jump: The quadruple axel is a highly difficult skill that has never been completed in competition — and one Hanyu had not even managed to complete in practice before bringing it to the ice today.

It involves four and a half rotations in the air, and is the only jump in the sport where skaters take off facing forward, according to the Olympics website.

Hanyu fell a second time soon after when performing a quad salchow jump, but nailed the rest of his jumps and elements successfully for a final score of 186.06.

That score placed him at the top of the leaderboard — but that's likely to be a temporary reprieve for Hanyu. A number of skaters are yet to perform, including his biggest rival, Team USA's Nathan Chen — who's tipped to win gold.

Love from the fans: Hanyu is hugely popular as the winner of the same event at Pyeongyang 2018. He was greeted with loud applause in the stadium from athletes and Chinese spectators alike.

Before he started his routine, a Chinese child could be heard shouting from the stands, "Add oil" — a phrase of encouragement. The only other time the child cheered on a skater was for Chinese competitor Jin Boyang, according to a CNN reporter in the crowd.

After Hanyu finished the program, he bowed to the public, with fans waving Japan flags from the stands.

Throughout the 2022 Winter Games, Beijing has emphasized the tight controls around its "closed loop" system that separates Olympic athletes, staff and participants from the outside public.

But at the Capital Indoor Stadium Thursday, people from both inside and outside the bubble are sitting under the same roof to watch the men's figure skating.

Outside the loop: Invited spectators — considered people outside the loop — face a lengthy process including four Covid-19 tests. That's two tests in the days before entering, and two more in the week afterward. Buses carrying the spectators into the bubble parked far from the stadium, with throngs of volunteers and security guards then guiding people on the 15-minute walk to the entrance.

That walk passes through pedestrian bridges and tunnels — all marked with a dedicated path that cordons off spectators from commuters on their way to work.

Inside the loop: The path isn't much easier for those already inside the bubble, either. They must take dedicated cars to venues, sometimes driving through special Olympic lanes — which are often empty, while other lanes outside the loop are packed with cars stuck in traffic.

Both in the stadium: For all this trouble, the two groups end up in the same place: inside the stadium, albeit in different sections and forbidden to interact. CNN reporters in both groups could see each other — just about — over the massive ice rink, where the men's short program is now underway.

There's buzz and activity inside the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium, where the men's figure skating competition is underway.

The media lounge is packed with people and volunteers eager to help. Many eyes are glued to the TV screens, waiting for the stars of the show — Team USA's Nathan Chen, who's currently in the lead, and Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu, who won at the last Winter Olympics but is now placed eighth.

They aren't due to compete until later — but many spectators have entered the stadium early to cheer the other skaters on. Party pop music plays in between performances, with some fans on the edge of their seats as they wait for scores to be announced.

As I walked through the lounge to grab a snack, an English-speaking volunteer told me he was thrilled to be here during his winter break. 

Inside the venue, the media seats are packed while the spectator section is about half full. There's a sense of anticipation, with fans clapping and waving flags when the skaters land a perfect jump — a Mexican and Belarusian flag are seen in the mix.

After exiting the rink, the skaters immediately put their sweaters and masks back on — making clear just how much effort they're putting in, with their face masks puffing in and out through their heavy breathing.

The Beijing Olympic Committee identified nine new Covid-19 cases among Winter Games-related personnel on Wednesday, it said in a statement Thursday, as total cases linked to the event surpassed 400.

Among the new cases, six were found among airport arrivals and three from those already inside the “closed loop” system, which separates Olympic athletes and staff from the Beijing public. 

Seven of the new cases involved athletes or team officials, three of whom were inside the closed loop.

Olympic cases: Since the closed loop system officially began on Jan. 23, a total of 407 Olympics-related cases have been identified, including 169 infections among athletes and team officials.

More than 1.1 million Covid tests have been conducted inside the loop since Jan. 23, with 13,096 people now inside the bubble, according to the statement.

Team USA's snowboarding phenomenon Chloe Kim fist-bumped Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, after winning gold at the women's halfpipe final on Thursday.

Kim, 21, shot to the top of the leaderboard with her first run's score of 94 — which nobody else could touch.

Kim had other famous faces cheering her on, with good friend and gold medal-winning freeskier Eileen Gu giving her a hug at the end of her second run.

An athlete from the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) figure skating team who tested positive for a banned substance is a minor, multiple sources have told CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity.

CNN has confirmed that Kamila Valieva, 15, is the only minor on the six-member gold medal-winning ROC team.

Some context: The ROC won gold on Monday, followed by Team USA in silver, and Japan, which took bronze.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams said the medal ceremony for the event was delayed due to “legal consultation.”

It is unclear if any action will be taken, or if the athlete will be allowed to continue competing in the Games, given the age of the competitor.

It remains unclear exactly when the positive test was taken.

The prohibited drug: Russian newspaper RBC Sport reported that a sample taken in December from one of the six team members tested positive for Trimetazidine, according to a source familiar with the situation and a source in the Russian Figure Skating Federation.

Trimetazidine is a drug used to treat people with the heart condition angina. It is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) banned list.

In a video message on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova expressed her support for Valieva, while making no reference to the reported incident.

CNN has reached out to the IOC and ROC, and the International Testing Agency for comment but has not yet received a response. 

Why is Russia called the ROC at the Olympics? Russian athletes are unable to compete in the Olympics under their country's name due to sanctions from the IOC and WADA for failing to cooperate with anti-doping rules in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

However, athletes who can prove that they are clean from performance enhancing drugs are able to compete under the ROC flag.

Defending Olympic champion Chloe Kim has won gold in the women's snowboarding halfpipe, pulling far into the lead with her first run and staying there for a final score of 94.

The 21-year-old American fell in her second and third runs — but her fantastic first effort, which included two 1080s, was enough to grant her victory.

At age 17, Kim burst onto the Olympic scene at Pyeongchang 2018 in the same event, becoming the youngest female Olympic gold medalist on snow. She also boasts five X Games gold medals and two world championships.

Queralt Castellet of Spain won silver on Thursday with a a best score of 90.25 and Japan's Sena Tomita took bronze with a best score of 88.25.