Nathan Chen won Olympic gold in figure skating at the 2022 Beijing Games with a record-breaking short program — redeeming himself after 2018 PyeongChang disappointment.
The Redemption
February 10, 2022: Chen scored 113.97 in short program (world record at time). Landed five quadruple jumps in free skate. Total score: 332.60 (Olympic record).
First American man to win Olympic figure skating gold since Evan Lysacek (2010). “Rocket Man” by Elton John for free skate.
PyeongChang Heartbreak
2018: Chen was favorite for gold. Fell on first jump in short program. Finished 17th in short, 5th overall. Devastated. Sobbed in kiss-and-cry with coach.
Spent four years training for Beijing. Three World Championship titles (2018, 2019, 2021). Quad king — landed six types of quads (no other skater has done all six).
Yale & Balance
Chen attended Yale University while training elite level. Took gap year 2022 for Olympics. Data science major. 3.7 GPA. Proved athletes can be students too.
Post-Olympic: “This Olympics was much more meaningful because of PyeongChang. I’m grateful I didn’t win in 2018.”
The Quad Revolution
Chen revolutionized men’s skating with quads:
- Quad toe loop, quad Salchow, quad flip, quad Lutz
- Attempted quad Axel (never fully rotated)
- Made quads standard (not circus tricks)
Legacy
Retired from competitive skating 2023. Returned to Yale. Performed in ice shows. 2018 failure made 2022 triumph sweeter.
The Quad King finally wore gold.
Source: Olympics.com