US Figure Skating Championships 2021: Thursday TV Schedule, Top Contenders

As has been the case for so many sporting events during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be held without fans in attendance this year in Las Vegas.

The championships, which get underway Thursday, will have significant implications for the 2022 Beijing Olympics and feature defending champions Nathan Chen and Alysa Liu.

U.S. Figure Skating Championships competition will takes place at Orleans Arena, with each discipline airing live on NBC or NBCSN and streaming live on Peacock, which will also stream practice sessions.

The event is under an even greater spotlight this year as uncertainty surrounds the viability of the world championships in light of COVID-19.

Skate Canada announced on Monday it would cancel its national championships, which had already been delayed to February. In December, skating officials in Sweden cancelled all remaining domestic competition. We will have to wait and see if the worlds will be able to go on in 2021. 

For now, though, we have the events over the coming days in Las Vegas to focus on. All the information you need to know about how to tune in to the championships and who to watch is below. 

2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

Dates: Monday, Jan. 11-Thursday, Jan. 21

Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas

Thursday TV Time: 6-8 p.m. ET (Pairs Short); 10 p.m.-12 a.m. (Ladies Short)

TV: NBCSN

Live Stream: Peacock Stream 

The major storyline surrounding this year's U.S. Figure Skating Championships is, of course, whether Chen can win his fifth straight national title in the men's field. 

The most recent singles champion in the U.S. to win five consecutive titles is Michelle Kwan, who claimed eight in a row from 1998 to 2005.

The last American man to win at least that many was two-time Olympic champion Dick Button, who won seven straight titles from 1946 to 1952. 

It's rarefied air for Chen, but there's no question he belongs there. The 21-year-old is the first skater to land five types of quadruple jumps in competition (toe loop, Salchow, loop, flip and Lutz).

Though he was suffering from the flu prior to the 2020 U.S. championships, returning to training only two weeks before the event, he took the title. At the 2019 World Championships, he set the men's record for the combined total with 323.42 points.

On the women's side, defending champion Liu is looking to become the first woman to win three national titles in a row since Kwan did it in 2005. 

Now 15, Liu won her first national title at 13. She will be challenged by 2018 Olympian and former national champion Bradie Tennell and Mariah Bell, the reigning Skate America champion. 

Part of what makes Liu so dangerous in competition is her signature triple axel and quad jumps. However, those may not be in her back pocket this time around; as she told NBC Sports recently, a three-inch growth spurt and an injury have threatened her jumps in practice. 

In pairs, Alexa Knierim has a new partner, Brandon Frazier, after her former partner and husband Chris Knierim retired. The new pairing won the discipline at Skate America. Both skaters individually have won titles at the U.S. championships, but it would be their first national win as a pair. 

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships action will continue Friday with the Rhythm Dance and Ladies Free. The full schedule can be found here.