US Figure Skating Stars Nathan Chen and Mariah Bell Receive Prestigious Honor for the Second Consecutive Time

Nathan Chen is currently touring with the rest of the US Olympic team in the “Stars On Ice” ice shows. With him, fellow skaters Mariah Bell, Alysa Liu, Jason Brown, Vincent Zhou, and many others take part as well. Just yesterday, the Professional Skaters Association presented Nathan Chen and Mariah Bell with prestigious awards.

Chen received the Gustave Lussi Award for the second time in consecutive years and the third time overall. Meanwhile, Bell also went two for two, winning the Sonja Henie Award. In addition, they also presented Bell with the Best Ladies Performance. The award was for her free skate at the US National Figure Skating Championships.

History of the awards won by Nathan Chen and Mariah Bell

The honors given to the two skaters are a part of the annual EDI awards ceremony held by the Professional Skaters Association (PSA). The association named them after the former president of PSA, Eduard (Edi) Scholdan. Unfortunately, the Sabena Flight 548 that carried the US team to the 1961 World Championships crashed. It killed everyone on board, including President Scholdan and his son.

Similarly, The Gustave Lussi Award is awarded to a male skater or coach who has presented the sport in a favorable light. Chen won this award in 2019, 2021, and now, in 2022. Its namesake Gustave Lussi was a figure skating coach for some of the greatest skaters in the sport. Moreover, he mentored skaters like Dick Button, Tenley Albright, and Dorothy Hamill, among many others.

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The female counterpart of the same is the Sonja Henie Award. Bell won the award in 2021 and now again in 2022. Sonja Henie was a Norwegian skater in the early 20th century. She was a three-time Olympic champion, ten-time world champion, and six-time European champion.

Likewise, they also awarded Bell the Best Ladies Performance. According to the PSA website, the criteria include “artistry, charisma/appeal, balance, originality, drama/emotion, music, costuming, humor, showmanship, quality, theme, and technical ability”.

The Stars On Ice Tour

Headlined by the 2022 Beijing Olympic Champion Nathan Chen, the Tour will visit 24 cities nationwide. It will wind up in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday, May 29th. The Tour stars iconic athletes of US figure skating like Madison Chock & Evan Bates, Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue, Karen Chen, Mirai Nagasu, and many others.

The Tour’s next stop is at Salt Lake City, Utah, Chen’s hometown, on May 18th.

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