Nathan Chen places gold medal around mother's neck at surprise reunion

Nathan Chen placed his gold medal around his mother's neck at a surprise reunion on TV on Tuesday (22 February) after his return from Beijing 2022.

Chen won his first Olympic figure skating men's singles title in Beijing with a new Olympic record combined score after setting a short program world record.

The 22-year-old relaxed the strict diet he follows during training and feasted on fast food and ice cream.

And while appearing on NBC's TODAY show, he was brought out some pizza by his mother, Hetty Wang.

It was the first time Chen had seen his mother since his return from China, the land of her birth, and they embraced before he placed the gold medal around her neck.

He told her: "There’s no way I would be able to make to where I am now without her support.

"I started on the ice when I was three years old. At that point you're three years old, you don’t really know what you’re doing. And she gave me structure, she made it fun for me, she made it a sport that I loved."

Chen first put on a pair of skates when he was three months after watching the figure skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics which were held in his hometown Salt Lake City.

Wang acknowledged the dedication he showed from the very beginning as well as the commitment of everyone around him.

“It’s a long journey, she said. "He worked very hard, every single day.

“Of course, the family’s support, everybody’s support. And also the people behind him, the whole team. Everybody helped him, supported him, for almost 20 years.

"Everything’s in here,” she said, pointing to the medal. “It’s teamwork.”

Wang and Chen, who is the youngest of five siblings, moved from Salt Lake City to Lake Arrowhead, California, when he was 11 to focus on his career.

“We didn’t always have