Simone Biles has inspired a generation of athletes and she will continue to do that in the future as well. However, her contribution to mental health awareness is simply unparalleled. Not just the fans, but she has changed the lives of many professionals as well and the Beijing Olympic gold medalist, Nathan Chen, is one of them.
At the age of 23, Nathan Chen accomplished almost every dream he saw as a child. He is an Olympic champion, a three-time world champion, and holds every current record in the sport of figure skating. However, just like any other athlete, he too has often faced mental health challenges during his career and once again Simone Biles was there to guide him through.
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How Simone Biles help Nathan Chen to see things through?
The best changes are the ones that are not forced but inspired and Simone Biles has changed everyone’s perspective. It’s like her one simple act is guiding the world toward mental health awareness.
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When the figure skater Nathan Chen was asked about whether Simone’s action in the Tokyo games helped him to see things through, he said, “It definitely did. It set a great precedent for that.”
Elaborating on the inspiration and how it served him in dealing with the pressure at the Olympics, Nathan further added, “Being able to put the perspective that we’re humans first is really important for us to have. I’m really grateful she was able to do that. I was able to work with a great mental coach over the years. She gave me great advice on how to prepare my mind for the Olympics.”
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After Star on Ice, what’s next for Chen?
Well, the first thing on his list is to go back to college and resume his studies. Nathan Chen has mentioned time and again how much he misses college and his normal life. Now that he is done with all the major figure skating events, he has all the time in the world to enjoy his college life at Yale. However, on long-term goals, he said, “As time progresses, I’ll see where I want to go.”
Do you think he would continue with figure skating knowing that he has achieved almost everything in the sport?
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WATCH THIS STORY– “I Definitely Won’t Be Dedicating..”- Nathan Chen Makes a Grim Statement on His Future in Figure Skating