Chan takes men's short program at Four Continents

COLORADO SPRINGS (AP) - Not even an early stumble could derail world champion Patrick Chan at the Four Continents figure skating championships on Thursday.

Chan failed to land his first jump cleanly, touching both hands to the ice, but rebounded to win the men's short program at his "home ice" at the World Arena.

The Canadian claimed the program with a score of 87.95 points despite the miscue, with Japan's Takahito Mura finishing second with a mark of 83.44.

"I was very happy with how I was able to gather myself, and I've been really good at doing that this year," Chan said. "I saw this as a challenge and a test, and I was able to get the best with what I had."

Chan, who trains in Colorado Springs, said the ice felt different than in recent practice sessions and that contributed to his hiccup.

"They changed the ice, and the temperature was a little different. I could feel it," said Chan, who won the 2009 Four Continents. "I was on it last Friday, a week ago, and it feels different than then. So, little things like that change things, and that's why it makes it feel a little bit foreign.

"It really makes me feel like I'm at an international competition and not at home."

Vancouver Olympics bronze medalist and defending Four Continents champion Daisuke Takahashi of Japan fell on his first jump and settled for third (82.59).

Adam Rippon, the 2010 Four Continents champion, was relegated to seventh place (74.92) after falling on his third jump.

The field for the four-day competition includes six Olympic and world medalists and consists of 102 athletes from 17 countries.