Chen Lu (figure skater) young skater in the early 1990s, Chen demonstrated both athletic and artistic potential. She often out-jumped many of her contemporaries and the world's top figure skaters, including Kristi Yamaguchi, Midori Ito, Tonya Harding, Surya Bonaly, and Nancy Kerrigan. She landed seven triple jumps, including a triple toeloop/triple toeloop combination at the 1991 World Championships held in Munich, Germany. During the free skating portion of the event, she landed more triple jumps than the top 5 finishers. This generated excitement about her prospects at a time when triple jumps were beginning to dominate women's figure skating, while Chen's artistic talents were
Chen Lu (figure skater) meteoric rise of another young skater, Oksana Baiul. After the 1994 Olympics, Nancy Kerrigan and Oksana Baiul (the Olympic silver and gold medalists, respectively) retired from amateur competition and Chen became the favorite to win the World title in 1994. However, a stress fracture injury kept her out of the competition and jeopardized her career. She made a successful comeback by winning the 1994 NHK Trophy in Japan with an enchanting program, landing six triples, including two triple lutzes. Chen reached the pinnacle of her career in 1995 when she became the World Champion (another first for a Chinese skater)