Everything You Need to Know About Olympic Figure Skater Nathan Chen
Nathan Chen became an Olympic champion on Thursday, February 10, 2022, winning his first gold medal in the men’s figure skating event in Beijing. The 22-year-old is the first Team USA figure skater to cinch the gold medal since Evan Lysacek in the 2010 Games in Vancouver, and the seventh American to win ever.
Skating to a compilation of Elton John’s music, Nathan executed a remarkable performance that included a triple axel, a triple lutz, and a triple toe loop combination. He earned a total score of 332.60.
Nathan’s success has been classified as a redemption by commentators and figure skating experts, after a disappointing performance at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics landed him in fifth place in the short program. But heading into Thursday’s competition, Chen was poised as the favorite to win — he secured his sixth straight U.S. Figure Skating Championship last month and won gold in the World Championships in 2018, 2019, and 2021.
What else is there to know about the Salt Lake City, Utah native? Read on for all the facts about the massively talented Nathan Chen.
He was three years old when he started skating
Nathan grew up in Salt Lake City, which was the host city for the 2002 Winter Games. He laced up his first pair of skates when he was just three years old, and was competing in the U.S. Nationals by 10 years old.
He has also won a silver medal in the 2022 Games
On Monday, February 7, Nathan and Team USA won a silver medal in the figure skating team competition, placing behind the Russian Olympic Committee but ahead of Japan. Nathan scored his personal best in the team event’s men’s short program with 111.71 points. It was the second-highest score ever received in the event’s history.
He attends Yale University
Nathan started classes at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut after the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. He is pursuing a degree in statistics and data science, and although he has taken a leave of absence for the past two years to train for the 2022 Olympics, he will return to campus in the fall as a junior.
Congratulations to our Gold Medal Bulldog!
Nathan Chen '24 makes his mark for @TeamUSA at the #WinterOlympics.#ThisIsYale | #BoolaBoola pic.twitter.com/lOWF6GIIsB— Yale Athletics (@YaleAthletics) February 10, 2022
He trained in ballet for six years
Nathan trained at the Ballet West Academy in Salt Lake City from ages 8 to 14. He wowed in performances such as The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. “This is where it all started,” he told an NBC News correspondent in 2017. “My training and ballet background definitely gives me the competitive edge on the ice.”
He predicted his spot on the 2018 Olympic figure skating team
At just 10 years old, Nathan was the youngest skater to perform at the 2010 U.S. Nationals competition. In an interview following his skate, Nathan was asked which year he would make his Olympic Games debut. “2018, I think,” he replied.
He has a strong connection to the Olympic Games host city
Nathan’s parents grew up in China, and came to the United States in the late ‘90s. Nathan’s mother, Hetty Wang, was born and raised in Beijing, the very city he became an Olympic champion. After his gold medal win, Nathan thanked his parents in a sweet Instagram post for their unwavering support throughout his skating career.
You Might Also Like
