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BEIJING, CHINA – FEBRUARY 08: Nathan Chen of Team United States reacts to his score following the Men Single Skating Short Program on day four of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 08, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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BEIJING, CHINA – FEBRUARY 08: Nathan Chen of Team United States reacts to his score following the Men Single Skating Short Program on day four of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 08, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
The outstanding Nathan Chen captured the hearts and minds of figure skating fans at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. He dominated the sport from start to finish. Winning his first-ever Olympic gold medal, Chen broke different records on his way. Significantly, he even broke Yuzuru Hanyu’s short program world record to the delight of the fans.
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Thus, he has started his journey to become one of the greatest figure skaters in the world. So, let’s go back to his childhood and figure out when he started figure skating?
When did Nathan Chen start figure skating?
Born in Salt Lake City, the Utah Jazz fan started skating at the age of three. His parents arrived in the USA from China and settled here as Chen attended West High School. As his brother played hockey, Chen wanted to become a goalkeeper at first. However, his mother gave him a pair of skates and helped him to become a world-class figure-skater. After that, he won his first figure skating title when he was 10 years old. Thus, the journey started from there.
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Likewise, he took ballet lessons when he was young, which propelled him to improve his figure skating skills. Thus, Chen’s mother has been a significant influence on him to where he is right now.
During the #PyeongChang2018, #nbc showcased Nathan Chen’s #ballet training. We here at #BIDA are proud to be offering off-ice dance classes this summer at the Skating Club of Boston. For more information please visit https://t.co/Tra11XZrGW pic.twitter.com/yftfWLFAHg
— Boston Ice Dance Academy (@BostonIceDance1) June 16, 2019
The Olympic gold medalist started figure skating at a very young age and continues to draw plaudits for his performance.
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In an interview with the New Yorker, Chen revealed how he did not imagine becoming a world-class figure skater. He did not predict himself to become the successful skater he is now as he spoke candidly in the interview.
“Not really. I mean, honestly, I never genuinely believed I’d make it this far. It’s always been a dream of mine. Growing up in Salt Lake, it seemed like the Olympics and athletics went hand in hand. But to actually make it happen was pretty crazy,” said Chen.
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USA’s Nathan Chen competes in the men’s single skating free skating of the figure skating event during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on February 10, 2022. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP) (Photo by WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images)
The disappointment at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics is just a memory. He is the new Olympic gold medalist for men’s figure skating. Improving year by year, the sky is the limit for the boy who started skating at the age of three.
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