Nathan Chen is an American figure skater who made his senior debut in international competition in 2016. Chen, the 2022 Olympic champion and a three-time world champion (2018, 2019, 2021), was the first skater to land five types of quadruple jumps in competition, the first skater to land six quadruple jumps in a free program, and the first skater to land eight quadruple jumps across a single competition. Chen has broken multiple world and national records and is the current 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). In early January 2022, Chen became the first man to win six consecutive U.S. championships since Button (1946–52), and a month later, at the 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 magazine included him in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
World record scores 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.
SP – Short program FS – Free skating
+Chronological list of world record scores in the +5/-5 GOE systemISU Progression of Highest Scores Statistics:No.DateScoreSeg.EventNote1Oct 20, 2018189.99FS2018 Skate AmericaChen broke Mikhail Kolyada's record from September 2018.2280.57TotalChen broke Shoma Uno's record from September 2018.3Mar 23, 2019216.02FS2019 World ChampionshipsChen broke Yuzuru Hanyu's record from November 2018.4323.42TotalChen broke Hanyu's record from November 2018.5Dec 7, 2019224.92FS2019–20 Grand Prix FinalChen broke his own record from March 2019.6335.30TotalChen broke his own record from March 2019.7Feb 8, 2022113.97SP2022 Winter OlympicsChen broke Hanyu's record from February 2020.
Firsts and other records
+Chronological list of firsts and records in titles, medals, and scoringDateAchievementEventReferenceJan 18, 2010Youngest U.S men's novice champion in history at 10 years old2010 U.S. Figure Skating ChampionshipsJan 24, 2011First male skater to repeat as U.S. novice champion2011 U.S. Figure Skating ChampionshipsJan 7–9, 2014Broke the U.S. national junior men's record for the short program (79.61)2014 U.S. Figure Skating ChampionshipsBroke the U.S. national junior men's record for the combined total score (223.93)Dec 8, 2016Youngest man to medal at a Grand Prix Final since Evgeni Plushenko in 19992016 Grand Prix FinalJan 21, 2017Broke the U.S. national record for the short program (106.39)2017 U.S. ChampionshipsBroke the U.S. national record for the free skate (212.08)Broke the U.S. national record for combined total score (318.47)Youngest U.S. men's champion since Dick Button in 1966Feb 19, 2017Youngest Four Continents Champion in history at 17 (until Kao Miura's win in 2023)2017 Four Continents ChampionshipsMar 24, 2018Youngest (18 years old) men's world champion since Evgeni Plushenko in 20012018 World ChampionshipsNew record for the largest margin of victory (47.63 points) in any event at an Olympics, worlds or Grand Prix Final under the historical +3/-3 Grade of Execution (GOE) ISU Judging SystemJan 27, 2019Broke his own U.S. national short program record from 2017 (113.42)2019 U.S. ChampionshipsBroke his own U.S. national free skate record from 2017 (228.80)Broke his own U.S. national record for combined total from 2017 (342.22)First skater to win three consecutive U.S. titles since Johnny Weir (2004–2006)Nov 2, 2019First skater to win eight Grand Prix events in a row since Evgeni Plushenko in 20012019 Internationaux de FranceJan 26, 2020Broke his own U.S. national short program record from 2019 (114.13)2020 U.S. ChampionshipsFirst skater to win four consecutive U.S. titles since Brian Boitano in 1988Jan 17, 2021First skater to win five consecutive U.S. titles since Dick Button (1946–1952)2021 U.S. ChampionshipsMar 27, 2021First U.S. man to win three consecutive world titles since Scott Hamilton (1982–1984)2021 World ChampionshipsFirst male skater to win three consecutive world titles since Patrick Chan (2011–2013)Jan 9, 2022Broke his own U.S. national short program record from 2020 (115.39)2022 U.S. ChampionshipsFirst skater to win six consecutive U.S. titles in 70 years since Dick ButtonFeb 10, 2022First Asian American man to earn Olympic gold at the Olympics in single skating2022 Winter Olympics +Firsts and records in technical elementsDateAchievementEventDetailsReferenceJan 22–24, 2016First U.S. skater to land two quadruple jumps in the short program2016 U.S. ChampionshipsFirst U.S. skater to land four quadruple jumps in the free skateFirst U.S. skater to land six quadruple jumps across a single competitionJan 21, 2017First skater in the world to land five quadruple jumps in a free skate2017 U.S. ChampionshipsSep 16, 2017First skater to land five different quadruple jumps (quadruple toe loop, quadruple Salchow, quadruple loop, quadruple flip, and quadruple Lutz) in competition2017 U.S. International ClassicFeb 17, 2018First skater to land six quadruple jumps in a free skate2018 Winter OlympicsMar 24, 2018First skater to land eight quadruple jumps across a single competition2018 World ChampionshipsFeb 4, 2022First skater to land a quadruple Lutz-triple toe loop combination in the second half of the short program2022 Winter Olympics
Honors and accolades Laureus World Sports Awards
Breakthrough of the Year Award (nominated in 2023)
ISU Skating Awards
Most Valuable Skater (2023)
ESPY Awards
Best Olympian, Men's Sports Award (nominated in 2022)
People's Choice Awards
Game Changer Award (nominated in 2022)
Amateur Athletic Union
James E. Sullivan Award (nominated in 2022)
Committee of 100
Trailblazer Award for Commitment to Excellence (2022)
Gold House
A100 Honoree (2018, 2019, 2020) A100 Hall of Fame (2021)
Professional Skaters Association
Gustave Lussi Award (2019, 2021, 2022)
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Male Olympic Athlete of the Year (2019)
U.S. Figure Skating
Ron and Gayle Hershberger Award (2012) Athlete Alumni Ambassador Award (2011) Cecilia Colledge Memorial Fund Award (2010, 2011) U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame
Class of 2026.
Ice Theatre of New York
Honoree (2026)
Media
Time: Named to the Time100 List (the 100 most influential people in the world) (2022) Time: Named to the Time Next Generation Leaders List (2017) Forbes: Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Sports list (2020) Harper's Bazaar: Named to their list of "Icons" (2022) SportsPro: "Most Marketable Athletes" (#65 in 2022) The Salt Lake Tribune: Nominated for "Utahn of the Year" (2022) SKATING Magazine: Recipient of the "Reader's Choice Award" (Michelle Kwan Trophy) (2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–2019) ABC News: Named Person of the Week (February 19, 2010)
Municipality
Sun Valley: Presented with a key to the city (2022) Utah: Awarded a proclamation, making May 18 "Nathan Chen Day" (2022) Salt Lake County: Awarded a proclamation, making May 16 "Nathan Chen Day" (2018)
Yale University Statistics and Data Science Outstanding Thesis Award (2024)
Medals and major titles Throughout the years, Chen has won all major competitions at the junior and senior level except for junior worlds. +Chronological list of won major international senior and junior titlesNo.DateCompetitionReference1December 11, 2015Junior Grand Prix FinalDetails2February 19, 2017Four Continents ChampionshipsDetails3December 8, 2017Grand Prix FinalDetails4March 24, 2018World ChampionshipsDetails5December 7, 2018Grand Prix FinalDetails6March 23, 2019World ChampionshipsDetails7December 7, 2019Grand Prix FinalDetails8March 27, 2021World ChampionshipsDetails9February 10, 2022Winter OlympicsDetails
Medal record by event
The list records medals and participations in senior and junior events. Medals at team events are included only by team result, not individual result.
+Medal record at major international senior and junior eventsSeasonEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotalWinter Olympics32013World Championships43003Four Continents Championships11001Grand Prix Final43104Junior World Championships20011Junior Grand Prix Final21012Total16101314 +Medal record at national senior and junior eventsSeasonEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal U.S. Championships86017 U.S. Junior Championships32013 US Novice Championships22002Total13100212 +Medal record in the Grand Prix seriesEventEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal NHK Trophy10101 Rostelecom Cup11001 Skate Canada11001 Internationaux de France22002 Skate America54015Total1081110 +Medal record in the Challenger Series and other international eventsEventGoldSilverBronzeTotal US International Classic11001 Finlandia Trophy11001Total22002 +Medal record in the Junior Grand Prix SeriesEventGoldSilverBronzeTotalJGP Austria11001JGP Belarus11001 JGP Croatia20101 JGP Mexico11001 JGP Spain11001 JGP U.S.11001Total75106 +Medal record at team eventsEventGoldSilverBronzeTotalWinter Olympics (Team)20112World Team Trophy31113Total51225
Medal record by season
The list records medals and participations at national and international events. Medals at team events are included only by team result, not individual result. Withdrawals and cancelled events are not included in the list.
+Medal record in novice seasonsSeasonEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal2009–10110012010–1111001Total22002 +Medal record in junior seasonsSeasonEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal2011–12110012012–13210122013–14530252014–15201012015–1633003Total1381211 +Medal record in senior seasonsSeasonEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal2016–17832162017–18960282018–19760172019–20540152020–21541052021–2264116Total40274637
International record scores International record scores by segment Chen holds all current records except for the program component score in the men's short program which was set by Yuzuru Hanyu.
+Record scores by competition segment, including the TES and PCSSegmentTypeScoreEventDateCombined total–335.302019 Grand Prix FinalDec 7, 2019Short programTES65.982022 Winter OlympicsFeb 8, 2022Short programTSS113.972022 Winter OlympicsFeb 8, 2022Free skateTES129.142019 Grand Prix FinalDec 7, 2019Free skatePCS97.222022 Winter OlympicsFeb 10, 2022Free skateTSS224.922019 Grand Prix FinalDec 7, 2019 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. +Historical record scores by competition segment, including the TES and PCSSegmentTypeScoreEventDateFree skateTES127.642018 Winter OlympicsFeb 17, 2018
International record scores achieved at main events