‘Strong, agile, controlled, coordinated’ - Nathan Chen explains what makes an Olympic figure skater

Nathan Chen has explained some of the core traits needed to become an Olympic figure skater, stressing the “inherently athletic” nature of the sport. A three-time world champion and bronze medallist in the team event at Pyeongchang 2018, the Team USA star is going for gold in the men’s singles this time around and is among the favourites to top the podium. Ad/> Skating in the team event, however, Chen has already left his mark on these Games.

He finished first in the men’s short program on Friday with a personal best of 111.71, just short of the world record held by his Japanese rival Yuzuru Hanyu. Beijing 2022Chen stuns to put US on top in figure skating team event13 HOURS AGO As Beijing 2022 begins in earnest, he has tried to dispel some of the most persistent myths about the sport which has been a fundamental part of his life since he was three years old. Speaking on Eurosport show Beijing Today, he said: “Figure skating is actually very inherently athletic.

“All the tricks that we do rely on being very strong, being very agile, controlled, coordinated… I don’t think that anyone that’s tried figure skating can say that it’s not athletic.” He also explained the technique behind one of his signature moves. “I definitely think that the quads are the number one thing that have sort of propelled me to where I am now,” he said. “A quad is four revolutions from the start.