Team U.S. Figure Skaters: Are Karen Chen and Nathan Chen Related?
By: Jackie Bonaventura - Published: February 22, 2018 at 4:17 pm
Photo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NixhPhyYW4w
Karen Chen and Nathan Chen have a lot in common, such as representing the USA in figure skating competitions in the winter Olympics, winning national titles before the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, similar culture backgrounds (Asian–American) and they even share the same last name! With so many similarities, it brings us to the all-important question; are Karen Chen and Nathan Chen related? We've got the answer below!
Are Karen Chen and Nathan Chen Related?
Though they share the same last name and a number of similarities, Karen and Nathan Chen are not related. It's a question that is asked on a regular basis and it's easy to see why. Get to know both of them below!
Nathan Chen is 18 years old and was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, in May of 1999. His current hometown is Long Beach, California.
Chen began to skate at the age of three and entered his first competition the following year. From 2007 to 2009, he competed in the U.S. Junior Nationals at the juvenile and intermediate levels. In 2008, he finished third in the junior Nationals, and the following year earning the silver medal.
In 2010, Chen then just 10 years of age, became the youngest champion winning the national novice title at the 2010 U.S. Championship. Chen continued with his winning ways, winning the 2015-2016 ISU junior Grand Prix and the 2017 Four Continents.
All of this helped Chen become an Olympic athlete and represent team USA. This year, Chen will be walking away with a bronze medal from the team ice dance event.
Karen Chen
Karen Chen is also born in 1999, but in the month of August. She was born in Fremont, California and continues to live in the state of California to this day.
Karen began to skate at the age of six. She fell in love with the sport and went on to compete professionally. In 2011, she won the national intermediate level competition and again finished first in the novice nationals of 2012. Chen won the bronze medal in the 2014- 2015 JGP series.
Karen was selected to represent team USA at the 2018 Pyeongchang winter games after winning the bronze medal at the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championship. She has the opportunity of winning a medal in the ladies single skating free skate on Friday (February 23) and the U.S. is certainly hoping for another win. After the 2018 Winter Olympics, Chen will be competing in Italy in the 2018 World Championships.
Interesting Facts About the U.S. Figure Skating Team
Did you know: Approximately 39% (15 out of 38) of the top U.S. figure skaters are part Asian-American. This is quite interesting since less than six percent of the total U.S. population is reflected with Asian-Americans.
A big reason why Asian-Americans could be so interested in figure skating is because of Michelle Kwan, the most decorated U.S. figure skater of all time. Many skaters, including Karen and Nathan Chen, look to Kwan as a role model.
It is possible that one day Karen and Nathan Chen could be the "Michelle Kwan" other young figure skaters look to and inspire the next generation of U.S. figure skaters.
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