Nathan Chen (USA)
Born on May 5 1999, American figure skater Nathan Chen is one of the greatest figure skaters of all time.
He is the 2022 Olympic champion, a three-time World champion (2018, 2019, 2021), the 2017 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand Prix Final champion (2017, 2018, 2019), a ten-time Grand Prix medalist (8 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze), and a six-time U.S. national champion (2017–22). At the junior level, Chen is the 2015–16 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, 2013–14 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, 2014 World Junior bronze medalist, and a six-time Junior Grand Prix medalist (5 golds, 1 silver).
Chen has the highest winning percentage in competitions in the modern era, and had the longest win streak in history from 2018-2021. Recognized for performing the most technically difficult programs in the world, Chen is credited for pushing the boundaries of athletic ability in the sport.
Known as the “Quad King” for his mastery of quadruple jumps, Chen is the first skater in history to have landed five types of quadruple jumps in competition—the toe loop, Salchow, loop, flip, and Lutz—as well as eight quadruple jumps across a single competition (2018 World Championships). Chen is the first Asian American man to earn an Olympic medal in single skating.
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Chinese immigrant parents, Zhidong Chen and Hetty Wang, who originated from Laibin, Guangxi, and Beijing respectively. Chen’s father is a research scientist and his mother is a medical translator. Chen is the younger brother of Alice, Tony, Colin, and Janice Chen, formerly of the Jennifer Doudna lab and co-founder of Mammoth Biosciences. Chen attended West High School in Salt Lake City and Rim of the World High School in Lake Arrowhead, California, and graduated from California Connections Academy. In addition to figure skating, he trained in ballet with Ballet West Academy and competed in gymnastics at the state and regional levels for seven years up to level 9. He also played piano as a child and more recently the guitar. His Chinese name is Chén Wēi. Chen enrolled at Jonathan Edwards College at Yale University in the fall of 2018, majoring in Statistics and Data Science. He took a leave of absence after his sophomore year to prepare for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and will return to college in the fall of 2022. He is due to graduate in 2024.
Kaori Sakamoto (JPN)
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