Nathan Chen is an American figure skater who made his senior debut in international competition in 2016.[ 1] world record holder for two competition segments in the senior men's discipline; the short program and combined total score, and former world record holder in the free skate .
When Chen captured his first U.S. title at the 2017 U.S Championships at age 17, he became the youngest national champion since Dick Button (1946). That same year, he won the Four Continents title and the first of three successive grand prix final titles. Chen won his first world title in 2018 and became the youngest world champion since Evgeni Plushenko (2001). He repeated as world champion in 2019, and in 2021, he was the first U.S. man to win three world titles in a row since Scott Hamilton (1982–1984).[ note 1] 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, he was the first Asian American man to win Olympic gold.
Chen has received numerous accolades in recognition of his achievements and impact. In the ensuing months after he stood atop the podium in Beijing, Chen earned nominations for several notable awards, including a Laureus World Sports Award , a People's Choice Award , an ESPY , and a James E. Sullivan Award . He was named Most Valuable Skater at the International Skating Union 's ISU Awards in 2023, and Time 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
World record scores [ edit ] Chen set seven world record scores in the +5/-5 grade of execution (GOE) system ; one in the short program , three in the free program , and three in the combined total score.[ note 2]
Chronological list of world record scores in the +5/-5 GOE system[ 4]
No.
Date
Score
Seg.
Event
Note
1
Oct 20, 2018
189.99
FS
2018 Skate America
Chen broke Mikhail Kolyada 's record from September 2018.
2
280.57
Total
Chen broke Shoma Uno 's record from September 2018.
3
Mar 23, 2019
216.02
FS
2019 World Championships
Chen broke Yuzuru Hanyu 's record from November 2018.
4
323.42
Total
Chen broke Hanyu's record from November 2018.
5
Dec 7, 2019
224.92
FS
2019–20 Grand Prix Final
Chen broke his own record from March 2019.
6
335.30
Total
Chen broke his own record from March 2019.
7
Feb 8, 2022
113.97
SP
2022 Winter Olympics
Chen broke Hanyu's record from February 2020.
Firsts and other records [ edit ] Chen (center) with Shoma Uno (left) and Mikhail Kolyada (right) at the medal ceremony at the 2018 World Championships Honors and accolades [ edit ] Laureus World Sports Awards
ISU Skating Awards
ESPY Awards
Best Olympian, Men's Sports Award (nominated in 2022)[ 36] People's Choice Awards
Game Changer Award (nominated in 2022)[ 37] Amateur Athletic Union
Committee of 100
Trailblazer Award for Commitment to Excellence (2022)[ 39] [ 40] Gold House
A100 Honoree (2018, 2019, 2020)[ 41]
A100 Hall of Fame (2021)[ 42] Professional Skaters Association
Gustave Lussi Award (2019, 2021, 2022)[ 43] United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Male Olympic Athlete of the Year (2019)[ 44] U.S. Figure Skating
Ron and Gayle Hershberger Award (2012)[ 45]
Athlete Alumni Ambassador Award (2011)[ 46]
Cecilia Colledge Memorial Fund Award (2010, 2011)[ 47] Media
Municipality
Sun Valley : Presented with a key to the city (2022)[ 57] Utah : Awarded a proclamation, making May 18 "Nathan Chen Day" (2022)[ 58] Salt Lake County : Awarded a proclamation, making May 16 "Nathan Chen Day" (2018)[ 59] Statistics and Data Science Outstanding Thesis Award[ 60] Medals and major titles [ edit ] Nathan Chen at 2018 Internationaux de France Throughout the years, Chen has won all major competitions at the junior and senior level except for junior worlds.
Medal record by event [ edit ] The list records medals and participations in senior and junior events.[ 61]
Medals at team events are included only by team result, not individual result.[ 62] Medal record by season [ edit ] Chen at 2019 Skate America The list records medals and participations at national and international events.[ 61]
Medals at team events are included only by team result, not individual result.[ 62]
Withdrawals and cancelled events are not included in the list.
International record scores [ edit ] International record scores by segment [ edit ] Chen holds all current records except for the program component score in the men's short program which was set by Yuzuru Hanyu .[ 63] [ 4] [ 64]
Chen holds the historical record for the technical element score in the men's free skate. The other historical records were all set by Yuzuru Hanyu .[ 63] [ 4] [ 64]
International record scores achieved at main events [ edit ] The major international events include the Olympics (men's individual event), World Championships , Four Continent Championships , and the Grand Prix Final , but exclude the European Championships as Chen is ineligible to compete. Chen currently holds eight of the twelve records. Yuzuru Hanyu has the records for the short program and total combined score at Four Continents , and Shoma Uno achieved the highest scores for the free skate at Four Continents and the short program at Worlds .[ 66]
SP – Short program
FS – Free skating
World records highlighted in bold and italic
Chen set three of the twelve historical record scores at main events. The other nine records were set by Hanyu.
International maximum scores [ edit ] Technical element scores [ edit ] Each technical element of a program is assigned a base value, which gives skaters credit for every element they perform. Some elements, such as spins , and step sequences , have levels of difficulty (level 1 is the lowest, level 4 is the highest) on which the base values are established. A judging panel grades the quality of each element using the grade of execution score (GOE) within a range of −5 to +5 (the historical system prior to the 2018–19 season had a range between +3/-3), which is added to or deducted from the base value. GOEs are proportional to the base value of each element. The highest and lowest scores for each element are thrown out, and the remaining scores are averaged to determine the final GOE for each element. The GOE is then added to or subtracted from the base value for each element, and the sum of the scores for all elements forms the technical score.[ 68] choreographic sequence and level four step sequence.
SP – Short program
FS – Free skate
Unanimous +5 GOE marks from the judging panel highlighted in bold
Prior to the system change (before the 2018–19 season), Chen achieved one perfect score for his level four step sequence at the 2017 Grand Prix Final .
National record scores [ edit ] Chen is the historical national record holder for the senior men's short program, the senior men's free skate, and accumulative score. He also holds the current national record scores for all three segments for the senior men's discipline at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships .
National maximum scores [ edit ] Chen has received a total of seven perfect scores for technical elements at the U.S. Championships. In the current +5/-5 GOE system, Chen was awarded maximum scores for a step sequence , a choreographic sequence , a jump and a jump combination. In the old +3/-3 GOE system, he received perfect scores for two step sequences. Furthermore, Chen was awarded perfect 10.00s in the performance component for his free skate at the 2019 U.S. Championships .
x – 10% bonus in the base value for a jump executed in the second half of the program
Unanimous +5 GOE marks from the judging panel highlighted in bold
Unanimous +3 GOE marks from the judging panel highlighted in bold
Absolute best scores [ edit ] Chen (center left) with Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron (left), Rika Kihira (center right) and Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres (right) at 2018 Internationaux de France Exhibition Chen has achieved combined total scores above 300 points seven times since the implementation of the +5/-5 system in the 2018–19 season, twice in the +3/-3 system season prior to that season.
Chen passed the 100 mark in the short program ten times since the 2018–19 season and five times in the historical system prior to that season.
Chen received more than 200 points for his free skate six times since the 2018–19 season, three times in the previous system.
[ edit ]
Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships .
Medals at team events are awarded for the team results only. Individual placements at team events are listed in parentheses.
Chen during his free skate at the 2019 Skate America [ edit ]
Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships .
Medals at team events are awarded for the team results only. Individual placements at team events are listed in parentheses.
Chen in his free skate at the 2018 World Championships [ edit ] Chen with Dmitri Aliev (left), Sōta Yamamoto (right) at the 2015 JGP Final podium Notes and references [ edit ]
^ Rutherford, Lynn (January 8, 2017). "Chen revamps programs in preparation for KC | icenetwork.com: Your home for figure skating and speed skating" . IceNetwork.com the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2023 . ^ Ewing, Lori (March 19, 2023). "World figure skating championships cancelled in Montreal | CBC Sports" . CBC Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023 . ^ "The new range of Grade of Execution" . International Skating Union . September 26, 2018. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020.^ a b c d e ISU Progression of Highest Scores Statistics:
^ Rutherford, Lynn (January 14, 2021). "Nathan Chen's Attempt at Fifth Straight Title Headlines Figure Skating Nationals" . Team USA Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. ^ Walker, Elvin (January 24, 2011). "Nathan Chen makes history in Greensboro" . Golden Skate . Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ "Figure Skating: SLC's Nathan Chen wins national junior title" . The Salt Lake Tribune Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ Zaccardi, Nick (December 16, 2016). "Yuzuru Hanyu wins record fourth straight Grand Prix Final; Nathan Chen on podium" . OlympicTalk | NBC Sports . Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023 . ^ a b Miller, Darci (January 22, 2017). "Nathan Chen Becomes First Figure Skater Ever To Land 5 Quads En-Route To His First National Title" . Team USA the original on March 19, 2023. ^ "Nathan Chen, 17, becomes youngest US men's figure skating champ – The Boston Globe" . The Boston Globe Associated Press . January 22, 2017. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ Donaldson, Maxwell (January 8, 2022). "Four things to know about Nathan Chen in the US Figure Skating Championships" . Yahoo! Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ "Figure skating: Japan wins men's, pairs gold at Four Continents" . english.kyodonews.net . February 12, 2023. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ Zaccardi, Nick (March 24, 2018). "Nathan Chen wins world title by nearly 50 points after everyone falls" . OlympicTalk | NBC Sports . Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ "Nathan Chen sails to third U.S. title" . OlympicTalk | NBC Sports . January 28, 2019. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023.^ Brennan, Christine (January 27, 2019). "Nathan Chen balances Yale studies with third U.S. figure skating championship" . USA Today Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ "Nathan Chen extends Grand Prix win streak to longest in 18 years" . OlympicTalk | NBC Sports . November 2, 2019. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023 .^ "Chen sets personal best, wins U.S. short program" . ESPN Associated Press . January 25, 2020. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ Hersh, Phil (February 26, 2020). "Nathan Chen, from flu-ridden on the floor, fights for fourth U.S. title" . OlympicTalk | NBC Sports . Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Wilner, Barry; Wilson, Bernie (January 18, 2021). "Nathan Chen wins fifth straight US Figure Skating title" . Associated Press Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ McCarvel, Nick (March 27, 2021). "Nathan Chen wins third world figure skating title in a row, beating Hanyu Yuzuru" . OlympicTalk | NBC Sports . Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023 . ^ Ramsay, George (January 9, 2022). "Nathan Chen breaks short program record at US Figure Skating Championships" . CNN Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ McCarvel, Nick (January 10, 2022). "Nathan Chen captures sixth U.S. title in a row ahead of Winter Olympics; Malinin stuns for silver" . OlympicTalk | NBC Sports . Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. ^ Yam, Kimmy (February 10, 2022). "Why Nathan Chen's history-making gold medal is so significant" . NBC News Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ "2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships" . U.S. Figure Skating Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023 .^ McDougall, Chrös (January 23, 2016). "Nathan Chen Makes History as First to Land Two Quads in Short Program at US Championships" . Team USA the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023 . ^ Brennan, Christine (January 24, 2016). "Nathan Chen jumps his way into history at national championships" . USA Today Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023 . ^ "2017 U.S Figure Skating Championships" . U.S. Figure Skating the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ "2017 US International Figure Skating Classic" . U.S. Figure Skating Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ "Chen powers way to gold in return to Salt Lake City | icenetwork.com: Your home for figure skating and speed skating" . IceNetwork.com the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ Carlson, Adam (February 17, 2018). "Redemption! Nathan Chen Lands Historic 6 Quads in Last 2018 Olympic Competition: 'He's Superhuman' . People Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Fung, Gloria (March 14, 2022). "Interview: Quad King Nathan Chen reveals the mindset of a gold medal Olympian" . Sporting News Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Hersh, Philip (February 8, 2022). "After pushing sport's limits again, Nathan Chen earned his rare celebration | NBC Olympics" . OlympicTalk | NBC Sports . Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023 . ^ Watta, Evelyn (February 20, 2023). "2023 Laureus World Sports Awards nominations" . OlympicTalk | NBC Sports . Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Houston, Michael (February 5, 2023). "Olympic champion Chen named Most Valuable Skater for 2023 at ISU Skating Awards" . Inside the Games Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ "Hall of Fame 2023" . International Skating Union . Retrieved February 5, 2023 .^ Anderson, Kaleb (June 28, 2022). "2022 ESPY nominees: Full list of ESPN award nominations; Dick Vitale to receive Jimmy V award" . USA Today Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Malec, Brett (December 6, 2022). "People's Choice Awards: 'Doctor Strange 2,' 'Don't Worry Darling' Take Top Prizes" . E! Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ "Vote for Nathan Chen for AAU James E. Sullivan Award | U.S. Figure Skating" . U.S. Figure Skating Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ Jain, Mansi (May 7, 2022). "Nathan Chen's Sister Receives His Trailblazer Award as Golden Boy Contracts COVID-19 on His Birthday" . EssentiallySports Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ "2022 Washington, D.C. Conference and Gala | Committee 100" . Committee of 100 Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2023 .^ "Gold House A100 List" . Gold House Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023 .^ "Gold House A100 Hall of Fame" . Gold House Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ "EDI Awards" . Professional Skaters Association Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ "U.S. Olympic & Paraolympic Committee Announces Winners for 2019 Team USA Awards" . Team USA United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee . November 19, 2019. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023.^ "Bio | Nathan Chen" . Nathan Chen OfficialArchived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ "Chen named winner of annual 3A award" . IceNetwork.com U.S. Figure Skating . May 16, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ "Cecilia Colledge Memorial Fund recipients named" . IceNetwork.com U.S. Figure Skating . February 2, 2011. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2023 .^ Kwan, Michelle (May 23, 2022). "Nathan Chen: The 100 Most Influential People of 2022" . Time Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Park, Alice (March 2, 2017). "The Ice Prince" . Time Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Smith, Chris; Kleinman, Dan (eds.). "30 Under 30 2020: Sports" . Forbes Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Edmonds, John (August 16, 2022). "Olympic Figure Skater Nathan Chen on Meeting His Role Model" . Harper's Bazaar Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ "The Most Marketable Athletes of 2022" SportsPro Archived from the original on October 19, 2022.^ "Most Marketable Athletes of 2022" (PDF) . SportsPro Archived (PDF) from the original on November 6, 2022.^ Fitzpatrick, Tom (December 9, 2022). "Who should be The Tribune's Utahn of the Year for 2022? Here's your chance to vote" . The Salt Lake Tribune Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Schwindt, Troy (September 11, 2018). "Nathan Chen Repeats as Winner of Readers' Choice Award" . U.S. Figure Skating Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Berman, John; Woo, Wonbo; Brozyna, Christine (February 19, 2010), "Person of the Week" , ABC News archived from the original on March 17, 2023, retrieved March 17, 2023 ^ Mathison, Mike; Lane, Roland (July 19, 2022). "Star Skater Nathan Chen Receives Key To Sun Valley" . Idaho Mountain Express . Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Ke, Bryan (May 22, 2022). "Utah honors native son Nathan Chen with his own day in honor of his figure skating achievements" . Yahoo! Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ Kamrani, Christopher (May 17, 2018). "Utah's Nathan Chen awarded proclamation making May 16 'Nathan Chen Day' in Salt Lake" The Salt Lake Tribune Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 . ^ "Congratulations to our graduates! | Department of Statistics and Data Science" . Department of Statistics and Data Science Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024 .^ a b c "Competition results – Nathan Chen (USA)" . International Skating Union . Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023 .^ a b c d e "Nathan Chen – Figure Skating – U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone" . U.S. Figure Skating Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023 .^ a b "Personal Bests – Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN)" . International Skating Union . Archived from the original on March 14, 2023.^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "USA – Nathan Chen" . Skating Scores . United States. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023.^ a b "Personal Bests – Nathan Chen (USA)" . International Skating Union . Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.^ a b c d e "Men's Absolute Best Scores" . International Skating Union . Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2023 .^ a b c d "Men's Historical Absolute Best Scores" . International Skating Union . May 29, 2018. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2023 .^ "ISU Judging System – International Skating Union" . International Skating Union . Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
_(10).jpg)
U.S. Championships
NHK Trophy
Rostelecom Cup
Skate Canada
Internationaux de France
Finlandia Trophy
JGP Austria
JGP Belarus
JGP Croatia
JGP Mexico
JGP Spain
2022 Winter Olympics
2019 Grand Prix Final
2021 World Championships
2017 Four Continents Champs.
2014 World Junior Championships
2015 World Junior Championships
.jpg)
