“Stops at Nothing to Pursue Their Dreams”: Olympic Figure Skater Sensation Nathan Chen Expresses His Thoughts on the Word ‘Icon’

The word icon is defined in numerous dictionaries, but only the true icon can describe its true meaning. Nathan Chen, an Olympic figure skater, has demonstrated his proficiency in skating with smooth glides. Despite his young age, he has become an icon of inspiration for many upcoming athletes. Meanwhile, as an Olympic gold medalist, Chen describes what it means to be an ‘icon’ and how it has been a blessing to meet his idol.

He is considered one of his generation’s best figure skaters. Because of his spectacular quadruple jumps, Chen is known as the ‘Quad King.’ He has gained fame for his name by participating in the Olympic games of 2018, 2019, and 2021.

Nathan Chen describes the meaning of ‘Icon’

This summer, Harper’s Bazaar published an issue entitled Icons to highlight the young generation of individuals bringing change to the world. This list includes 30 individuals who have made a significant contribution to society. One of the 30 icons in Bazaar’s issue is the Olympic figure skater.

Nathan discussed his iconic person as an example of the definition of an icon in his own words with Bazaar. Chen said, “The word icon means someone who stops at nothing to pursue their dreams and their goals. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet one of my all-time icons, Michelle Kwan. She’s someone who was a trailblazer for Asian American figure skaters and really set the path for future generations to follow.”

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He illustrated the moment he felt iconic in the skating ring, “I feel the most iconic when I’m on the ice. I get to forget everything and just be myself on the ice and just, I guess, be my truest self. I want to just do the best that I can in any given day and just keep moving forward, try not to think too far about these big grand things, and more just stay in the moment.” With Nathan’s expression, he made the word ‘icon’ more beautiful.

The journey of becoming an ‘Olympic Icon’

Nathan Chen was born on May 5, 1999, the Olympic gold medalist has had a remarkable career. However, growing up in Salt Lake City, Utah, he developed a deep love for figure skating. At age ten, he became the youngest figure skating champion in history. Since then, he has maintained his ranking on the best of all time list.

Rafael Arutyunyan serves as his coach, providing him with various strategies enabling him to excel in his career. Meanwhile, with a score of 113.97 in Beijing, he set new records in the short program for figure skating. Aside from figure skating, he also dominates the fashion genre with some of the best outfits.

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