When Nathan Chen did his short program routine at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, fans knew he won the gold medal. Thus, their predictions did not go to waste. Chen dominated the program from start to finish, to win the gold medal. Although practice and passion go hand in hand, physical attributes hand over a certain amount of advantage.
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Height is a major factor in most sporting competitions. Thus, for every sport, a certain amount of height helps athletes to perform well. Thus, did height play a factor in Chen’s steps to victory in Beijing?
How tall is Nathan Chen?
For example, in soccer, short players have a low center of gravity and are better dribblers. It helps them to be agile. On the contrary, tall players have a significant aerial advantage. Just think about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In Nathan Chen’s case, he is 5’6″ and is one of the best figure skaters in the world. So the next question that arises in our minds is whether height plays an advantage for figure skaters?
An average height of a male figure skater is 5’5″ to 6’0′. Likewise, they weigh between 150 and 175 pounds, as it is ideal for figure skaters.
There are certain myths surrounding the sport, one being, the skaters are too tall for the sport. But, in terms of height, there is no added advantage. In fact, it helps the skaters to twist and do their rotations in the air. However, weight plays an important aspect in the sport.
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Landings are the major key elements
Most figure skaters want to perfect their landings after performing a quadruple jump. Height is not an issue for this, but certainly, weight is. The heavier you are, the more the pressure on your knees. Thus, this can lead to career-ending injuries. In Chen’s case, he is perfectly aligned to the body requirements of a figure skater. He is one of the best skaters in the world and he showcased those talents in Beijing.
Thus, in terms of height, Chen comes in the category of the best average height needed for a skater; although, it just adds up to a little percentage of one’s performance. He is an incredible talent and continues to defy all the odds!
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