Nathan Chen

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Nathan Chen was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Chinese immigrant parents Zhidong Chen and Hetty Wang. He started skating at age three in a beginners' class at the Salt Lake City Sports Complex, which served as a practice rink during the 2002 Winter Olympics. His mother financed his skating by working as a medical translator and cleaning houses. Chen trained in gymnastics and ballet, competing at state level and placing first in the all-around at the Utah Boys' State Gymnastics Championships in 2008. As a child, he also trained as a pianist and won local competitions. He began working with jump specialist Rafael Arutyunyan when he was 10, and relocated to Southern California at age 11 to further his career. Chen became the youngest U.S. novice champion in history at age 10 in 2010, and at age 17 became the youngest U.S. champion since Dick Button (1946). He rose through the junior ranks, winning the Junior Grand Prix Final in 2015–16 and bronze at the 2014 World Junior Championships. Chen is the first skater to land each of the five reverse take-off quadruple jumps (Lutz, flip, loop, Salchow, and toeloop) in competition with a positive grade of execution. He holds the highest winning percentage in the modern era with a more-than-three-year winning streak from 2018 to 2021. Chen is the first Asian American man to win U.S., world, and Olympic titles in single skating. In 2022, he became the first man to win six consecutive U.S. titles since Dick Button (1946–52), and the first single figure skater to win both team and singles gold medals in the same Olympic games.

Reader's Guide

Nathan Chen's significance lies in his technical mastery and competitive dominance. He holds the highest winning percentage in the modern era and was the first to land all five types of quadruple jumps with positive execution, earning the nickname 'Quad King.' His six consecutive U.S. national titles (2017–22) matched a record set by Dick Button, and his three consecutive World titles (2018, 2019, 2021) were the first by a U.S. man since Scott Hamilton (1982–1984). Chen's 2022 Olympic gold in men's singles and team event made him the first single skater to achieve both in the same Games. He is the current world record holder for men in the short program and combined total score, and holds the highest total scores of three major ISU competitions: the Olympics, the Four Continent Championships, and the Grand Prix Final. Off the ice, Chen was named to Time's 100 most influential people in 2022, appeared on Forbes' 30 Under 30 in 2020, and authored two books: his memoir *One Jump at a Time: My Story* and the children's book *Wei Skates On*. He matriculated at Harvard Medical School in 2026.

Did You Know?

• Chen became the youngest U.S. novice champion in history at age 10 in 2010, a title he successfully defended the following season.
• He is the first single figure skater to win both team and singles gold medals in the same Olympic games (2022).
• Chen's mother financed his skating by working as a medical translator and cleaning houses.
• He placed first in the all-around at the Utah Boys' State Gymnastics Championships in St. George in 2008.
• Chen matriculated at Harvard Medical School in 2026.