Nathan Chen has traveled to Italy, where he will spend the week at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. His purpose is to meticulously observe the performances of the male Olympic figure skaters, though his perspective at these Winter Games will be notably different.
He will, on this occasion, be observing from the spectator seats.
“Now,” Chen remarked, “I have the opportunity to experience it from a different perspective.”
Although Nathan Chen has not formally announced his retirement, he has not participated in competitions since 2022, the year he distinguished himself as the sole male singles skater to secure two Olympic gold medals at a single Games. His primary responsibilities in Italy will involve engaging with sponsors and providing commentary on the men’s skating events for Utah 2034 donors.
Despite not actively competing on the ice, Chen’s profound influence on skating will be evident both in Milan’s arena and elsewhere. His groundbreaking style has paved the way for subsequent skaters, who have incorporated his audacious techniques—including quadruple jumps and backflips—thereby expanding the limits of human capability and judicial acceptance.
“Were it not for Nathan, we wouldn’t consistently witness multiple quadruple jumps in routines,” stated 1998 gold medalist Tara Lipinski, who co-anchors NBC’s figure skating commentary with two-time Olympian Johnny Weir. “Nathan fundamentally transformed men’s skating, and Ilia [Malinin] is now reimagining that in a distinct, more advanced manner, as we ascend further.
“However, it was Nathan who initially charted that course.”
When discussing Chen’s impact on the sport, his jumps immediately come to mind. He earned the moniker “The Quad King” due to his extensive execution of four-spin jumps. Presently, Malinin, known by his Instagram handle #QuadG0d, is considered Team USA’s top contender for a gold medal.
Chen was not the initial skater to successfully perform a quad, or multiple quads, in competition. Two Canadian skaters pioneered this feat in the 1980s and ’90s. Back then, these jumps were largely perceived as novelty tricks rather than essential elements of a routine.
Subsequently, the 2002 Olympics held in Salt Lake City proved to be a pivotal moment for the sport. Following a judging controversy involving vote-trading that marred Utah’s inaugural Winter Games, the scoring system shifted to a more metrics-driven approach, significantly increasing the quad’s importance. Coincidentally, in the same year, after witnessing his sisters at the Opening Ceremony, a three-year-old Chen earnestly asked his mother for skating lessons.
Sixteen years later, the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, showcased an unforgettable quadruple jump showdown between Chen and Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu. Hanyu, executing fewer but more polished quads than Chen, secured an initial advantage. Following a catastrophic short program where he placed 17th, Chen increased the technical complexity of his long program. He attempted six quads, successfully landing five, which propelled him to fifth place in the final results.
By 2022, Chen’s masterful execution of five distinct quad jumps compelled his rivals to match his skill. When he flawlessly performed both programs, his dominance was undeniable.
Presently, Malinin incorporates such a diverse array of quads into his routines that — similar to Chen — if he executes them successfully, his fundamental technical score renders him almost unbeatable. Betting odds assign him a 90% to 99% probability of securing the gold medal on Friday.
“He has certainly been a tremendous inspiration to me,” Malinin remarked about Chen, with whom he trained in preparation for the 2022 Olympics.
“Witnessing his dedication and the immense effort he invested motivated me to apply an equal level of commitment.”
Weir noted that Chen’s influence on figure skating extended beyond just individual competitors.
“One can undeniably observe a significant impact from Nathan Chen across men’s skating in particular,” Weir commented. “This includes his choice of attire, his skating style, and the technical barriers he managed to overcome — such as his prolific use of quadruple jumps.”
Chen states that he cannot solely claim responsibility for this progression. He acknowledges Japan’s Hanyu and Shoma Uno, along with his Team USA colleague Vincent Zhou, as key figures who advanced both the quality and frequency of quadruple jumps.
“My generation undeniably made an impact,” Chen affirmed. He further commented, “We were aggressively pursuing quadruple jumps.”
Moreover, backflips should not be overlooked.
At Saturday’s team event, Malinin was the inaugural skater to receive points for executing a backflip at an Olympic Games. Chen played a role in paving the way for the backflip’s return.
American skater Terry Kubicka successfully performed the first backflip in competitive skating at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics in Austria. However, judges considered it uncouth, leading the federation to swiftly prohibit it. Two decades subsequent, when France’s Surya Bonaly executed the move during the women’s competition at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, it was perceived as a defiant gesture.
Nonetheless, when Chen executed a backflip during the Exhibition Gala at the close of the 2022 Winter Games, it captivated both spectators and NBC’s commentators. French skater Adam Siao Him Fa significantly boosted the move’s prominence by performing it at the European and World Championships in 2024. Eventually, the skating federation rescinded its prohibition on the backflip during the 2024-25 season, labeling the maneuver “very spectacular.”
“It genuinely creates an incredibly powerful, raw sensation in this setting,” Malinin shared with reporters in Milan following his short-program performance. “The moment I land that backflip, everyone just erupts with joy, becoming completely uninhibited.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAiGGZAfIIw
With Malinin, Japan’s Shun Sato, and other rising stars consistently elevating their technical scores, a key question remains: Will they introduce the era of the quintuple jump?
“That,” Chen commented, “is indeed the pivotal question.”
He explained that the resolution hinges on the International Skating Union and its priorities. According to current regulations, Chen noted, a quintuple jump would yield sufficient points to motivate skaters to try it. However, if the federation modifies its rules to place greater importance on the artistic component of the sport — a change reportedly under consideration — this could delay the emergence of the quintuple jump.
Yet, even if a quintuple jump proves advantageous in scoring, is its physical execution feasible? Chen admits he is unsure.
“There is a human threshold. I am not certain what that is,” he stated. “However, we similarly doubted the possibility of a quad axel.”
What he can confirm is that he is not currently attempting one, as his schedule barely permits it.
Chen completed his degree in statistics and data from Yale University in 2024 and has since been occupied with medical school applications. Furthermore, he has collaborated with former U.S. ice dancer Jean-Luc Baker and choreographer Sam Chouinard to establish Your True Step, a skating program for young aspiring athletes.
Additionally, Chen serves on the Utah 2034 steering committee, a 35-member body tasked with guiding the spirit and strategy for Salt Lake City’s upcoming Winter Games. While his involvement has been limited to acting as an ambassador in Milan this week, Chen expressed a desire to help create outreach initiatives that encourage children’s participation in the Olympics.
“The Games embody this concept,” Chen articulated, “that they serve as a source of inspiration for the succeeding generation.”
Therefore, beyond the impressive quad jumps and backflips, future Olympians are likely to continue following the path of Chen’s enduring legacy for many decades.