Elliott: Nathan Chen's sense of purpose, and great skating, made him destined for gold

Nathan Chen’s figure skating talent was apparent at a precocious age, surfacing quickly after he followed his hockey-playing older brothers out to the ice and realized he enjoyed the tickling breeze on his face and the problem-solving satisfaction of conquering a tricky jump or intricate spin. “I saw him in 2018 and then I saw him this season and he’s just a completely different person now,” said U.S. women’s champion Mariah Bell, who trains with Chen at Great Park Ice in Irvine and became a trusted part of his support system during the COVID-19 pandemic. He deserves to be Olympic champion because few people can handle it.” — U.S. women’s champion Mariah Bell “And then one day he said, ‘Mom, if we do not move I will not make it.’ Eleven year old boy,” Arutyunyan said, his tone tinged with admiration. And I think having that sort of positive atmosphere within the skaters and having someone demanding, having that guiding force, is a really positive way to continue growing.” Chen’s success will give him a larger platform to inspire Asian skaters in the way he was inspired by seeing Michelle Kwan, who won nine U.S. championships, five world titles, and Olympic medals in 1998 and 2002. “As soon as I sat down, he was like, ‘Thank your mom on TV,’” Chen said.