Chen, who has been referred to as one of the greatest men's figure skaters of all time by various news outlets, holds the highest winning percentage in competitions in the modern era with a more-than-three-year winning streak from 2018 to 2021.[note 1] Chen is renowned for performing some of the most technically challenging programs in the world and is acclaimed for surpassing the expected athletic standards in the sport. He is known as the "Quad King" for his mastery ofquadruple jumps.[21][22] Chen is the first skater to have successfully landed each of the five reverse take-off quadruple jumps (Lutz, flip, loop, Salchow, and toeloop) in competition with a positive grade of execution. He has broken world and national records, and is the currentworld record holder for men in the short program and combined total score, and former world record holder in the free skate under theISU Judging System. He currently holds the highest total scores of three major ISU competitions: theOlympics, theFour Continent Championships, and theGrand Prix Final. Chen is the first Asian American man to win U.S., world, and Olympic titles insingle skating. At age 17, Chen became the youngest U.S. champion sinceDick Button (1946), and in 2022 became the first man to win six consecutive U.S. titles since Button (1946–52). When Chen won the2018 World Championships, he became the youngest World Champion sinceEvgeni Plushenko (2001). In 2021, he became the first U.S. man to win three consecutive world titles sinceScott Hamilton (1982–1984). He is the first and only single figure skater to win both team and singles gold medals in the same Olympic games (2022).
Nathan Wei Chen was born inSalt Lake City, Utah, toChinese immigrant parents Zhidong Chen, a research scientist fromGuangxi, China, and Hetty Wang fromBeijing.[23][24] He has four older siblings: Alice, Tony, Colin andJanice Chen, who worked for theJennifer Doudna lab and co-foundedMammoth Biosciences.[23] Chen's mother was very involved in his skating career from the beginning, financing his skating activities, as well as the pursuits of his siblings, by working as a medical translator and cleaning houses.[25] Chen was more active and fearless than his siblings, whom he tried to copy.[26] He aspired to become a hockey goalkeeper after watching his older brothers play hockey, but his mother gave him figure skates.[27]
To improve his coordination and strength and supplement his skating, Chen's mother enrolled him in gymnastics and ballet classes. He trained withBallet West Academy for more than six years[28] and competed at state level in gymnastics, placing first in the all-around at the Utah Boys' State Gymnastics Championships inSt. George in 2008.[29][30] As a child, Chen also trained as a pianist and won local competitions in his age group[31] and later learned to play guitar as an extracurricular activity.[32] According to Chen, he comes from "a huge chess family"—his siblings competed as children in chess tournaments[33][34]—but, he says, he is less skilled in the game than the rest of his family.[35]
Nathan Chen was part of an increase in the number of infant skaters following the2002 Winter Olympics in his home town.[36] He started skating at the age of three in a beginners' class at the Salt Lake City Sports Complex, which served as a practice rink during the Olympics. He entered his first figure-skating competition in 2003.[36][37] When he was seven, Chen started competing at the juvenile and intermediate levels in theU.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships, placing 10th at the juvenile boys' level in 2007; in the same competition, he won bronze in the juvenile boys' division in 2008 and the intermediate men's silver medal in 2009.[38]
Progressing to novice level in the 2009–2010 season, Chen competed at the2010 U.S. Senior Championships in Spokane, becoming the youngest U.S. novice men's champion in history at the age of 10.[39] He remained at the novice level for the 2010–2011 season and became the first male skater to retain the U.S. novice champion at the2011 U.S. Championships in Greensboro, finishing almost 36 points ahead of his nearest competitor.[40] Chen debuted as at the junior level in the 2011–12 season, and won his first national junior men's title at the2012 U.S. Championships in San Jose.[41] At his first international appearance, Chen won the novice men's event at the 2012Gardena Spring Trophy in Italy.[42]
Chen had started working with former Czechoslovakian skaterKarel Kovar, who used to train with Russian coachAlexei Mishin and taught Chen to pull his arms across his torso in a "seat belt" position when he rotated, a position Chen still uses.[43] Kovar introduced Chen to fellow Czechoslovakian skaterJozef Sabovčík nicknamed "Jumping Joe".[44] Sabovčík was the first coach who told Chen not to stop in the middle of a program during a run-through.[26] Chen worked with Kovar until age nine, and had begun taking lessons fromEvgenia Chernyshyova, who was local to Salt Lake City and more easily accessible.[45][29]
When Chen started working with jump specialistRafael Arutyunyan when he was 10, he and his mother drove from Salt Lake City toLake Arrowhead, California, several times a year. The family did not have much money to spend on skates, lessons, and competition costumes so Chen and his mother sometimes slept in their car. At age 11 Chen told his mother he should move to further his career, and Chen and his mother relocated to Southern California.[46][24] Arutyunyan became his main coach in 2011.[47]
In preparation for his senior international debut, Nathan Chen worked on a new short program withMarina Zoueva,[71] while Zoueva and Oleg Epstein coached him inCanton, Michigan.[72] Chen opened the pre-Olympic season at the2016 CS Finlandia Trophy, winning gold ahead ofPatrick Chan.[73] At his senior Grand Prix debut at the2016 Trophée de France, he landed clean quadruple Lutz and triple-toe combinations and clean quadruple flips in both segments. He received 92.85 points for the short program, breakingEvan Lysacek's U.S. record of 90.30.[74] Chen placed fourth overall and returned to California to work withRafael Arutyunyan before theNHK Trophy,[71] where he finished second behind Olympic championYuzuru Hanyu.[75] Chen opened the2016–2017 Grand Prix Final, placing fifth in the short program. He won the free skate with a performance that included four quadruple jumps, earning a combined score of 282.85 points, coming second to Hanyu. At 17, he became the second-youngest man to win a medal at a Grand Prix Final afterEvgeni Plushenko, who was 16 in 1999.[76]
At the2017 U.S. Championships in Kansas City, Chen performed two quadruple jumps in the short program and became the first skater to land five clean quadruple jumps in a free skate.[77] He won his first senior U.S. title with record scores of 106.39 in the short program, 212.08 in the free skate, and 318.47 overall to become the youngest champion in more than 50 years.[78][79] A few weeks later, Chen won the2017 Four Continents Championships. He scored 103.12 in the short program, 204.34 in the free skate, and 307.46 in combined total, exceeding 100 (short program), 200 (free skate), and 300 (combined total) for the first time in his career,[80][81] and became the youngest Four Continents men's champion in history untilKao Miura in 2023.[82] At the2017 World Championships, Chen's boots had begun to fall apart, but he felt his back-up boots were too new and decided to try to repair the old ones with duct tape and hockey laces.[83][84] Chen finished sixth overall, saying, "It wasn't at all the program I wanted to do. I made a whole bunch of mistakes". Chen's placement, combined with his teammateJason Brown's seventh-place finish, ensured Team USA would be able to send three men to the2018 Winter Olympics.[85] Chen ended the season at the2017 World Team Trophy, where he finished second in the short program[86] and fourth in the free skate.[87] The U.S. team finished third overall.[88]
2017–2018 season: Pyeongchang Olympics and first World title
Chen's first competition in the Olympic season was the2017 CS U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. Working with choreographersShae-Lynn Bourne andLori Nichol, he debuted a short-program set to "Nemesis" and a free skate with music fromMao's Last Dancer. In the free skate, he landed his first quadruple loop to become the first skater to land five different quads in competition.[89][90] After placing first in the short program and second in the free skate at2017 Rostelecom Cup, Chen defeatedYuzuru Hanyu to win his first Grand Prix title.[91] At2017 Skate America, Chen secured his second title, finishing ahead of teammateAdam Rippon. With the two wins, Chen earned the top qualifying spot for the2017–18 Grand Prix Final,[92] where he had a narrow win overShoma Uno. Chen became the first U.S. man to win the final sinceEvan Lysacek in 2009.[93][94] At the2018 U.S. Championships, which served as trials for the Olympics, Chen performed seven clean quadruple jumps—two in the short program and five in the free skate—to win his second consecutive national title.[95] Chen, Adam Rippon, andVincent Zhou were named to the Olympic Team.[96]
At the2018 Winter Olympics inPyeongchang, South Korea, Chen performed his short program in the team event poorly and placed fourth,[97] but won bronze alongside his teammates.[98] A week later, Chen had another disappointing performance in the men's individual short program and finished 17th heading into the free skate. Afterward he said, "Honestly, it was bad ... I made as many mistakes as I possibly could have".[99] Chen placed first in the free skate with a new personal best score of 215.08, and became the first skater to land six quads in a free skate, and finished fifth overall.[100][101] Chen caughtinfluenza and withdrew early from the gala to avoid infecting other athletes.[102] A month later, Chen won his first world title at the2018 World Championships, finishing first in both programs. He became the first skater to land eight quadruple jumps in a single competition—two in the short program and six in the free skate.[103][104] He became the first U.S. man to win the World Championships sinceEvan Lysacek in 2009 and the youngest world champion sinceEvgeni Plushenko in 2001. His margin of victory over silver medalistShoma Uno (47.63 points) was the greatest at a World Championships,Olympic Winter Games, andGrand Prix Final under the historicalISU Judging System (IJS).[105] In early 2018, Chen was accepted intoYale University.[106]
Chen's first competition as a full-time college student was theJapan Open, where he skated alongsideJeremy Abbott,Bradie Tennell, andMariah Bell. He finished fourth in the free skate and Team North America finished third overall.[107] At2018 Skate America, Chen skated to "Caravan" byFanfare Ciocărlia in his short program[108] and to "Land of All" byWoodkid during his free skate.[109] He won both segments and defended his title, winning by the largest point margin in the competition's history.[110] At the2018 Internationaux de France, Chen fell on his quadruple flip in the short program and entered the free skate in third place behindJason Brown.[111] He recovered and won the event with a total score of 271.58.[112] At the2018–19 Grand Prix Final, Chen won the short program and the free skate—though he made some mistakes—to win his second Grand Prix Final.[113] With the win, Chen became the fourth man to win consecutive Grand Prix Final titles since the event debuted in 1995.[114] At the2019 U.S. Championships in Detroit, Chen received a record score of 113.42 for a two-quad short program and a record score of 228.80 for a four-quad free skate, ending with a record combined score of 342.22 points. He won the championship by 58.21 points overVincent Zhou in second place and became the first man to win three consecutive national titles sinceJohnny Weir in 2004–2006.[115][116]
Competing at the2019 World Championships in Saitama during Yale's spring break,[117] Chen defended his world title and broke the world record for the free skate and total score, with 216.02 and 323.42 points respectively. He won the championship by 22.45 points overYuzuru Hanyu, becoming the first U.S. man to win back-to-back world titles sinceScott Hamilton (1981–1984).[118] With teammate Vincent Zhou winning bronze, two Americans stood on the men's podium at Worlds for the first time since 1996.[119] Chen traveled back to Japan to conclude his season at the2019 World Team Trophy, where he won both segments; Team USA placed first.[120][121][122]
2019–2020 season: Third consecutive Grand Prix Final title
Chen opened his 2019–2020 season by winning the free skate in the men's event at the Japan Open, contributing to Team North America's bronze-medal finish.[123] He went on to defend his title at2019 Skate America in Las Vegas, becoming the first person to win Skate America three times consecutively sinceTodd Eldredge, who won four times from 1994 to 1997. Chen's 44-point margin of victory was the largest in the event's history.[124] Two weeks later, Chen won his second consecutiveInternationaux de France title inGrenoble. He became the first singles skater since Evgeni Plushenko to win eight consecutive Grand Prix events.[125]
At the2019–2020 Grand Prix Final in Turin, Chen andYuzuru Hanyu were expected to compete for gold and silver.[126] Chen had a clean short program and a new personal-best score of 110.38, 0.15 short of Hanyu's world record at the time.[127] He went on to set new highest scores of 224.92 in the free skate and 335.30 in the combined total, breaking his own world records in both segments, winning the title with 43.87 points over Hanyu.[128][129] While suffering from influenza, Chen resumed training less than two weeks before the2020 U.S. Championships, where he won his fourth national title with a new U.S. national short program record of 114.13, and became the first man to win four consecutive U.S. men's titles since Olympic championBrian Boitano in 1988.[130][131] Chen was assigned to compete at theWorld Championships inMontreal but the event was canceled as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[132]
With the pandemic ongoing, skaters were largely assigned to the2020–2021 Grand Prix based on geographic location; Chen was set to compete atSkate America.[133] Despite popping two planned jumps in the free skate, he won both the short program and the free skate with a total score of 299.15.[134][135] Afterward, speaking toOlympic Channel, Chen said he was taking a break from school to focus on skating and the2022 Winter Olympics; he said, "[The Olympics] are the end goal ... It's the driving force behind a lot of what we do and a lot of the decisions that we make".[136] At the2021 U.S. Championships, Chen won his fifth-consecutive national title, becoming the first man to win five consecutive titles sinceDick Button, whom Chen cited as inspiration, saying:
It's incredible to try to follow in his footsteps ... It means the world. Dick is a true skating icon, and it just feels incredible to be trying to chase something that someone like that has done. I'm nowhere near the level he was at, but it's just cool to be able to be even mentioned in his sort of realm of legendness.[137]
At the2021 World Championships in Stockholm, Chen placed third after the short program, in which he fell on his quadruple Lutz, with a score of 98.85.[138] He skated a clean free skate with five quads and finished first with a score of 222.03. He won his third consecutive world title with a cumulative score of 320.88, and became the first man sincePatrick Chan (2011–13) and the first American sinceScott Hamilton (1982–84) to win three world titles in a row.[139] In a post-competition interview, Chen said he felt he had grown since the 2018 Winter Olympics when he was in 17th place after the short program: "I think having had that experience now going into this competition, it definitely helps me retain some resiliency, I think. And I think that definitely, you know, thankfully came into play today."[140] Chen finished his season at the2021 World Team Trophy in Osaka, where he placed first in both segments and Team USA finished second overall.[141][142]
Chen began the Olympic season at2021 Skate America, where he placed fourth in the short program. He fell on his first quadruple jump and a poor landing on the second quadruple jump left him unable to execute the required two-jump combination. He placed second in the free skate despite doubling two of his six planned quads, finishing in third place overall behindVincent Zhou and Shoma Uno. Speaking about the end of his undefeated run since the 2018 World Championships, Chen said: "it's not devastating. It was inevitably going to end as a winning streak at some point in time, and I am really proud of these guys up here".[19] Chen recovered a week later at2021 Skate Canada International, where he won both segments to win the competition with a 47.63-point margin over silver medalistJason Brown.[143] Chen's results secured him a place in the2021–22 Grand Prix Final. which was subsequently canceled due to restrictions prompted by theSARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.[144] At the end of November, Chen engagedMassimo Scali to help finalize the presentation of his Olympic programs. After initially skating toBenjamin Clementine's "Eternity" and aMozart medley, he had decided to return to his "La Bohème" short program andRocketman free skate from2019–20 but was unable to work with choreographerMarie-France Dubreull in person due to the ongoing pandemic.[145] At the2022 U.S. Championships, Chen won his sixth consecutive U.S. title, a feat only achieved by Dick Button 70 years earlier from 1946 to 1952. Chen scored 115.39, a new national record, in the short program,[146] and 212.62 in the free skate for a combined total score of 328.01.[147]
A month later, at the2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Chen was the U.S. entry in the men's short program in theOlympic team event in which he had poorly performed four years earlier. He skated clean and placed first with a new personal best of 111.71, securing ten points for Team USA. He said, "[I]t feels great to have a short program I actually skated well, at an Olympic experience".[148] The U.S. team initially won the silver medal, which was to be Chen's second Olympic medal; however, following a positive doping test of Russia's gold medalistKamila Valieva, the team members were not awarded their medals, pending an investigation.[149] In January 2024, theCourt of Arbitration for Sport announced the final results, disqualifying Valieva.[150][151] Six months later, in July 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed appeals by theRussian Olympic Committee, and the U.S. team was awarded the gold medals in a ceremony at the2024 Summer Olympics inParis on August 7, 2024.[152] Two days after the team event, Chen set a world record in the men's short program with a score of 113.97,[153] breaking the previous record of 111.82 set byYuzuru Hanyu in 2020.[154] Chen won an Olympic gold with a free skate score of 218.63 that included five quads, finishing with a combined total score of 332.60.[155] His free-skate costume, which Chen's long-time collaborator New-York-based fashion designerVera Wang designed, is now part of the permanent collections in the Smithsonian Institution'sNational Museum of American History.[156] After the Olympics, Chen withdrew from the2022 World Championships due to injury.[157]
Chen started performing in ice shows from an early age and at five years old, he made appearances in televised shows such as "Holiday On Ice: Las Vegas Style" (2004),[161] and at seven years old in "Supermen On Ice" (2006).[162] After winning his first novice title, he was invited to skate in shows all over the world, including China in 2010,[31] Thailand in 2011,[163] and Malaysia in 2012.[164] Since his early childhood, Chen has performed in the annual "Sun Valley on Ice" summer shows in Idaho,[165] and made several appearances inHarvard University's show "An Evening with Champions".[166][167]
Following the cancellation of the2020 World Championships during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chen coached young skaters at a rink in Connecticut and completed the Continuing Education Requirements (CERS), a mandatory course via theProfessional Skaters Association, in which he scored 100% on his module exam.[184] In August 2023, Chen coached atJavier Fernandez's annual summer camp in Spain withBrian Orser,Tracy Wilson, andFlorent Amodio.[185] Chen taught at seminars in Seattle and Detroit in June 2024 and in Baltimore in February 2025 alongsideJean-Luc Baker andSam Chouinard via their entrepreneurial enterprise "Your True Step" that Baker and Chen created to help other skaters. The idea that would eventually develop into "Your True Step" was conceived during a training camp leading up to the 2022 Winter Olympics.[13][186]
Chen has been commended for his technical skill and impact on figure skating: 1984 Olympic ChampionScott Hamilton compared him toDick Button; according to Hamilton, Chen is "not ... satisfied with the status quo and building his athleticism" in an unprecedented way but combining the athleticism with "very significant artistic performances". Olympic ChampionHayes Jenkins commented Chen's "arms, his hands, his carriage" are fluid, unexaggerated, and purposeful and said Chen is "aware of the music".[187] According to Cati Snarr ofBallet West, where Chen trained as a child, Chen "has perfect placement (relative positioning of his torso, head and limbs), perfect turnout (hip rotation) and natural kinesthetic awareness that some kids never get";[28] while 1980 Olympic ChampionRobin Cousins said there is a "wonderful, joyous feeling about [Chen's] skating".[188] From a musical perspective, Chen has progressed with senior programs set to a variety of music such as classical piecesLe Corsaire and thePolovtsian Dances, works byIgor Stravinsky, tracks from melancholy contemporary artists likeWoodkid andPhilip Glass, upbeat pop songs byElton John, and contemporaryLatin music.[189]
According toAlexei Mishin, fundamentals of the technique he teaches are part of the reason for Chen's consistency: the skater should have a very tight pulling-in position, start the rotation during take-off, and rotate very quickly.[190] Chen's rotation position has been used as an example of what can be defined as the perfect air position; according to George S. Rossano, it is characterized by a vertical axis running through the long axis of his body without hunched shoulders or rounded back and no bend at the waist or the knees, and his arms are pulled tight across his torso like a seat belt.[191] When Chen learned this technique from his childhood coach and former Mishin studentKarel Kovar, he trained in "Mishin's Magic Vest", which has sensors that emit beeping sounds when the skater achieves the correct arm position.[192][193]
According toForbes, Chen had long-term contracts with 11 partners:Bridgestone,Panasonic,Comcast,Nike,Toyota,Visa,OMEGA,[194]Coca-Cola,United Airlines andKellogg's;[195] he has also worked withPowerade[196] and consumer brandsGrubhub, Airweave, andInvisalign.[197][198][199] Chen was featured on cornflakes boxes from Kellogg's, in Nike and Coca-Cola ads on billboards in New York City,[200][201] and inspired a United Airlines Olympic athlete super hero action figure.[202] He starred in crossover television commercials for the 2022 filmJurassic World: Dominion with fellow OlympiansShaun White andMikaela Shiffrin,[203] and promotional pieces and content for other sponsors.[204][205] Chen is a brand ambassador for Panasonic and fronted their "Green Impact" initiative with tennis playerNaomi Osaka and Olympic swimmerMichael Phelps. The company engaged Chen, Osaka, and Phelps for its sustainability mission, and Chen made appearances for Panasonic at the annual technology conferenceCES 2023 inLas Vegas.[206][207] In November 2023, Chen, an OMEGA ambassador, attended the opening of the Planet OMEGA exhibition in New York[208] and participated in a panel discussion withAllyson Felix,Noah Lyles andOksana Masters.[209] Chen contributed to a sleep study for Airweave that was overseen byEmmanuel Mignot, a sleep scientist and professor atStanford University,[210] and he spoke at the 2023Nikkei Sleep Conference in Tokyo. The conference focused on sleep as a social issue.[211] During a press briefing at the end of May, 2024, Airweave revealed that the company is planning a new research project with Chen.[212]
In 2019, Chen partnered withBoosted Boards, a manufacturer of electric skateboards and scooters.[213] He was part of luxury jewelry designerDavid Yurman's social-media campaign "My New York" in 2021,[214] and collaborated with Yurman to create an exclusive bracelet benefiting AAPI non-profit collectiveGold House.[215] In January 2023, Chen was announced as one of the celebrity guests on the fifth season of theApple podcastTime to Walk on the company'sexercise tracking appApple Fitness Plus; the podcast mixes music and inspirational monologues from musicians, athletes, and actors.[216][217] On social media, Chen promotedUniqlo's Heattech collection,[218] products from Ultraslide,[219] and ramen from Japanese food and beverage companyMaruchan.[220] Chen has been represented by Yuki Saegusa atIMG since the beginning of his senior career.[221]
In June 2021, the Salt Lake City–Utah Games Committee, bidding to host the Olympic Winter Games inSalt Lake City in 2030 or 2034, named Chen to its Athlete Advisory Committee alongside alpine skiersLindsey Vonn andTed Ligety, speed skaterApolo Ohno, and others.[222] Chen said; "the developed infrastructure is already in place, so it makes a lot of sense to bring it back to Salt Lake City ... having an Olympics in a home town of a lot of young athletes can be very inspiring".[223] Salt Lake City previously hosted the Winter Olympics in2002 and its bid relied on existing infrastructructure and private funding.[224] In July 2024, Salt Lake City was officially elected as host of the2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics,[225] and in February 2025, Chen was selected to serve on the steering committee for the 2034 Olympics and Paralympics.[226]
Chen's memoirOne Jump at a Time: My Story was released in English byHarperCollins in November 2022, in Japanese byKadokawa in late March 2023,[229] and in Russian byAST in October 2024.[230] In it, Chen discusses his figure-skating career from his childhood as the youngest son ofChinese-American immigrants to his success, his family's determination to fund expensive training, his hip injury and subsequent surgery in 2016, and his disappointment at the 2018 Winter Olympics.[231][232] In February 2023, HarperCollins released Chen's first children's bookWei Skates On, which is a picture book about feeling nervous and reframing negative thinking, with illustrations by Lorraine Nam. The book tells the story of a young boy named Wei who learns to face his fears and find joy in sports[233][234] and was named one of the Best Children's Books of the Year by theBank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee.[235]Wei Skates On was released in Japanese in August 2023 byShinshokan.[236]
Chen, who skated to music byPhilip Glass when he won his third-consecutive world title, was an essay writer in the boxed setPhilip Glass Piano Etudes: The Complete Folios 1–20 & Essays from Fellow Artists which was released byArtisan Books on November 7, 2023. The boxed set containsThe Complete Folios 1–20 andStudies in Time: Essays on the Music of Philip Glass, and was designed to be an heirloom.[237] In August 2023,Penguin Books released the children's bookWho Is Nathan Chen?[238] as part of its bestselling book seriesWho Was?, which tells the stories of prominent public figures and celebrities.[239][240]
Chen starred in three episodes of the Elton-John-produced showFrom the Top: Olympians and Rockstars with singer-songwriterHayley Kiyoko on theOlympic Channel in 2021, which paired Olympic athletes with music stars. John served as executive producer and noted there "has long been an inextricable connection between music and sport, two worlds that often come together for cultural moments around the world".[252][253] Chen stars in the music video for Elton John andBritney Spears' acoustic version of the John song "Hold Me Closer"; in the video, Chen is depicted skating atYale University'sIngalls Rink.[254] The collaboration between the duo can be traced back to 2019 when Chen first selected John's songs from the Oscar-winning motion pictureRocketman for his free skate.[255] In March 2023, Chen attended theElton John AIDS Foundation's 31st annualAcademy Awards party inWest Hollywood, California.[256]
In July 2022, Chen made an appearance as a creator on the American dance-competitionNBC television seriesDancing With Myself, in which a creator demonstrates a series of dance moves each contestant must then perform.[257] In August 2022, he was featured in an episode of theCBS seriesSecret Celebrity Renovation, in which celebrities gift a renovation to a person who helped guide them to success. Chen gifted a renovation to Salt Lake City Sports Complex, which houses the rink on which he learned to skate as a toddler; Chen donated to the center a new skater's lounge and dressing room,[258] and dedicated the renovation to childhood coaches Stephanee Grosscup,Karel Kovar, andEvgenia Chernyshyova.[259] Chen also reunited with all four of his siblings to compete on theSteve Harvey-hosted game showCelebrity Family Feud againstMarvel'sShang-Chi actorSimu Liu's team. The episode aired onABC in August 2022.[260]
Chen regularly supports charitable causes. Since 2017, he has been involved with Figure Skating in Harlem, a non-profit organization aiming to help girls of color grow in confidence, leadership skills, and academic achievement. In 2022, he was one of the honorees at the organization's 25th gala event.[266][267] Chen has worked with StandUp for Kids, a national non-profit program that works to end youth homelessness and has a branch inOrange County, California, near Chen's training base. Chen provided an opportunity for children to skate with him atGreat Park Ice in 2021.[268] Chen is an investor in the nonprofit collectiveGold House, which promotes the interests and safety of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.[269] Chen was part of a delegation when Gold House rang the opening bell at theNasdaq Stock Exchange on May 2, 2023.[270] He spoke against violence against Asian Americans in 2021, calling it "unacceptable".[140] He said, "I worry about my parents more so than myself. I don't want them to go out in the park to walk and then get beat up or [have] worse things to happen to them."[271]
Nathan Chen attended Hawthorne Elementary School in Salt Lake City; he was accepted into the school district's extended learning program, in which he took classes one level above his grade.[31] He later attendedWest High School in Salt Lake City andRim of the World High School inLake Arrowhead, California, and graduated from high school at CaliforniaConnections Academy.[1] He was admitted toYale University in 2018 and enrolled atJonathan Edwards College. After his sophomore year, Chen took aleave of absence to prepare for the2022 Winter Olympics but returned in late 2022 to complete his baccalaureate degree in statistics and data science.[173][293] During his junior year, Chen worked in cardio-oncologist Jennifer M. Kwan's research lab atYale School of Medicine and was the recipient of anAmerican Heart Association undergraduate research award to support his genomics and cardiovascular research projects.[294] As a senior, Chen authored manuscripts and gave talks at science symposiums.[295] He graduated from Yale in May 2024[296] where he won a Statistics and Data Science Outstanding Thesis Award for his senior project entitled "Utilizing Deep Learning to Predict Somatic Variant Pathogenicity."[297]
Chen is currently enrolled in a one-year post-baccalaureate pre-medical program atGoucher College to prepare him for medical school admission.[291] He is serving as an Ambassador for Public Outreach for the American Junior Investigators Association (AJIA),[298] an initiative established in 2024 to advocate for physician-scientists in the early stages of their careers.[299]
Nathan Chen holds the highest winning percentage in modern figure skating at 73%. In the 13 season period from the 2009–2010 season, when he entered the novice level, until the 2021–2022 season, his final competitive season, Chen won the U.S. Championship ten times, twice as a novice, twice as a junior and six consecutive times as a senior, only once failing to defend his same-level title; in two of the three remaining seasons, he earned bronze medals.
————— (March 29, 2023).自伝 ワンジャンプ [One Jump at a Time: My Story] (in Japanese). Translated by Naito, Fumiko; Kodama, Atsuko; Nakamura, Kuriko.Chiyoda, Tokyo:Kadokawa.ISBN978-4-04-113436-8. 368 p.
————— (November 7, 2023). "Freedom on the Ice". In Glass, Philip; Brumbach, Linda; Regas, Alisa E. (eds.).Philip Glass Piano Etudes: The Complete Folios 1–20 & Essays from 20 Fellow Artists.New York:Artisan. pp. 96–101.ISBN978-1-64829-188-3. 136 p.
Chen, Nathan (November 22, 2022).One Jump at a Time: My Story [Narrated by Nathan Chen and Eunice Wong].Audible (Audio book). New York:HarperAudio.Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. RetrievedNovember 7, 2023.
^Various news outlets have referred to Chen as one of the greatest figure skaters of all time and have described his consistency in the 2018–2022 quadrennial as one of the most dominant four year stretches the sport has seen. See:[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]
^Terrace, Vincent (January 12, 2023).Holiday Specials on Television, 1939–2021 (1st ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina:McFarland & Company. p. 75.ISBN978-1-4766-8969-2.
^Rossano, George S. (December 30, 2019)."Ice Skating International Online".Ice Skating International Online.Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 14, 2023.
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