It was an opportunity of a lifetime for the American figure skater, Mariah Bell, to be part of Team USA at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. Making her Olympic debut at 25 is a very special achievement, as she is the oldest female figure skater for the USA to do so since 1928. While 25 isn’t that old after all, in figure skating, competing against teenagers demands quite the skill set.
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In the finals of the women’s single figure skating event, the American skater scored 134.85 points and was able to finish in tenth place. It took her nine national championships to get her spot on Team USA for the Olympics, becoming the oldest female skater to win the US national championship in almost a century.
Mariah Bell opens up about her friendship with Nathan Chen
The Olympic champion, Nathan Chen, and Mariah Bell are very close friends. They have known each other for a long time now and it seems both the figure skaters are quite fond of each other.
On her relationship with Nathan Chen, Mariah said, “[Chen is] really, truly one of my best friends in the world. I’ve known him for so long. When we started training together, we started to talk more and we have the exact same sense of humor.” She further added, “We’re both huge dorks and we just get along really well and also with the people that we train with, so we just have a really great community.”
When asked about what it’s like to be on the US Olympic team with her friend, she said, “it’s so cool to go to the Olympics with him. I’ve seen him have so much success over the last couple years. To be there myself and competing too, we get to support each other.”
Mariah Bell’s career highlights
The 25-year-old might have finished tenth in the Beijing Winter Olympics, but she is an amazing athlete. Not limited by her age, she exhibits grace and effortlessness in her performance, making it a sight for sore eyes.
Mariah has won gold, silver, and bronze medals in US championships in different years and has finished in the top ten in four ISU championships.
Her incredible free skate performance on the song “Hallelujah” in the Olympics was appreciated by everyone. Notably, Mariah started skating when she was 3 years old, and ever since, skating has been the love of her life.
