Nathan Chen

“Team U.S.A. is awesome.”

“Skating is a sport that I found a lot of interest in from a very, very young age. Ultimately, I think that being on the ice, being in the cold, and trying things and challenging myself in different ways is something that made me really interested in skating.”

“From a logistical standpoint, I learned about when to peak, when to push, when to recover throughout the season.”

“I like biology a lot.”

“I really enjoy traveling to... I went to Spain. That was really cool. Japan was really cool. France was really cool.”

“I don't think the demographic for skating really entails a lot of basketball watching.”

“To have all of these jumps in my arsenal is very beneficial. I can always alter my program so I can either play it safe, or I can play it risky with high reward. It depends on what I feel like I need that day.”

“Every day is a new day, and ultimately, I have to figure out what works each day.”

“I am a first-generation American of Chinese decent. My parents were both born and raised in China and moved to the U.S. in their 20s.”

“Once I really understood what skating was and what the Olympic really entailed, I knew that's what I wanted to do: I wanted to be there; I wanted to represent the U.S.”

“I would love to be working in a hospital or in a completely different realm, working with or exploring the lives of animals.”

“I do very scientific-based training. However, for skating, that's a little bit out of the ordinary. Many skaters base their off-ice training around plyometrics, whereas mine is very strength- and power-based.”

“Triples are hard. Triple axel is just not my jump. Quads are really my thing.”

“That's something I'm actually very interested in doing, helping young skaters.”

“Every competition is different... You can't plan for everything that happens.”

“I think doing a quint is very, very difficult.”

“It's crazy how fast time flies and how things progress.”

“When I watch my skating when I was younger, I definitely see all this balletic movement and this artistry come through.”

“I celebrate my hardworking parents and all the opportunities they gave me.”

“There's a lot of skaters that I look up to, and I think my biggest skating role models were the two Russian competitors at the 2002 Olympic games in Salt Lake City. They really motivated me to follow my passion in skating, and it really blossomed from there.”