From a logistical standpoint, I learned about when to peak, when to push, when to recover throughout the season.
— Nathan Chen
I think that ballet and skating definitely go hand in hand, especially growing up at Ballet West, which is an incredible academy.
Every competition is different... You can't plan for everything that happens.
I have confidence in how I've trained and prepared myself. I've dreamed about the Olympics for a long time, and it would be kind of silly and a waste to freak myself out.
When I watch my skating when I was younger, I definitely see all this balletic movement and this artistry come through.
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.
It's crazy how fast time flies and how things progress.
Personally, I feel like there should be some sort of cap on the quads, but we should still be pushing it to a certain number.
Triples are hard. Triple axel is just not my jump. Quads are really my thing.
Largely, I began skating because I wanted stuff to do outside of school. My mom decided to put me into figure skating.
It's reassuring knowing that people are supporting me and want to know more about me. It comes with being the national champion and making the Olympic team. I think that it's telling me I'm on the right path.
Ever since I started skating, making the Olympic team was my ultimate dream. It's what has inspired and motivated me throughout my entire career.
Half of learning a new element is just getting over the fear of doing it. Once you mentally prepare yourself enough to do the jump, that is really half the battle.
I remember being a little kid walking down the grocery aisle seeing athletes on these cereal boxes.
Sometimes thinking about the Olympics makes me a little nervous.
I've skated after Yuzu a handful of times. The only thing I can take away from it is to be prepared for the Pooh-bears to be raining down from the audience.
Every day's a new day.
I really wanted to play hockey. My mom thought figure skates looked easier to use, so she put me in the learn-to-skate program.
My training and ballet background definitely gives me the competitive edge on the ice.
Skating is a very beautiful sport, and I love watching new programs.
I have my own life to live.
I'm the baby for sure. My siblings are looking out for me, making sure I'm not doing something stupid. They are making sure my head is set straight and that I'm a good person outside of skating and inside of it, too.
I've been working on it a lot, trying to find the artistic balance, trying to find purpose in my movement combined with the jumps.
I don't think the demographic for skating really entails a lot of basketball watching.
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.
Netflix isn't available internationally all the time, but the NBA is. It's nice to have something that feels like home.
I began skating when I was 3. It was during 2002, the year the Olympics were held in Salt Lake City.
There are always times when you don't want to go to the rink, or you don't want to do all the things you're supposed to do. Sometimes you're exhausted, or it's been a long week, but I always remind myself that this is my Olympic dream and the passion, because I love the sport very much.
A lot of the things I do outside the rink are just to relax and recover. We spend so much time at the rink, so it's nice to decompress a little.
Being able to land all the quads, especially doing them all in one program, is mentally huge.
That's something I'm actually very interested in doing, helping young skaters.
It's something I have to remind myself about, that at every competition, I put a lot of pressure on myself, almost like it's the end of the world, and I have to keep reminding myself it's not.
I just like to keep pushing myself and the sport.
Once I landed the triple Salchow, I put it in the program. First landed triple toe, straight into the program. That's what I did with my quad suite.
I've always had Russian coaches.
Every day is a new day, and ultimately, I have to figure out what works each day.
I love jumping. I have always loved jumping. I love watching jumps. I love doing jumps.
As a kid growing up, I didn't want to tell any of my classmates I did figure-skating because I knew they'd be like, 'Oh, you're a skater, you're gay, blah blah blah.' So I kept it to myself. Once I started getting to more of an elite level, I didn't really care what people thought, though.
I think my parents felt us being a minority a little bit more than I did, and they tried to shelter me from that so I didn't feel it at all.
If the jump is perfect, you come out, and you feel like you took a three-pointer in basketball or doing the perfect thing in whatever your sport is. You just get that adrenaline rush, a sense of satisfaction, like you want to do it again and again.
I wanted to be a goalie.
The Olympics really started motivating me from the very start. That was my dream from the very beginning.
I began skating in the official practice venue of the 2002 Games. It was a huge Olympic atmosphere with Apollo Ohno sitting on the wall every day when I walked into the rink. That was really cool and very inspiring to see.
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.
An artistic standpoint - I've watched a lot of ballet and source some inspiration from how they move, connect with each other, and find meaning in their movement.
Just being here at the Olympics is pretty incredible in itself. Seeing the unity of the athletes and to see how everyone has worked so hard to get here - and we are all so excited to be here - it's awesome to be able to experience it.
I like the challenge and instant gratification of landing a new jump or learning a new element. That made me fall in love with the sport.
My skating career won't last forever.
I want to get another Olympic medal outside the team event.
Honestly, I am human. I make mistakes.
