Nathan Chen says his gold medal wouldn’t be possible without his mom: ‘She’s been by my side’

‘3 years old, I stepped on the ice, and she’s been by my side ever since’

US figure skater Nathan Chen took home the gold medal at the Olympic Games. In regards to his big win, Chen has said that there was one person in his life that made his success possible: his mom.

Speaking with Today on 10 February about his performance on the ice, Chen, 22, detailed how his mother, Hetty Wang, has been one of his biggest supporters.

“Absolutely none of this would be at all remotely possible without her support,” he said. “Since day one, 3 years old, I stepped on the ice, and she’s been by my side ever since.”

“We didn’t always have the funds to be able to support coaching,” he said. “So she was basically my coach throughout that whole period of time I was growing up, and along when I decided to move to California to work with my current coach, Rafael Arutunian.”

When he was 11, Chen first moved to California with his mother to begin working with Arutunian. And throughout this start of his career, Chen shared how his mom would take him to and from training sessions.

“She drove me back and forth in our trusty little Prius, so a lot of miles put together and a lot of time put together, but this is a result of her."

And while Chen’s family couldn’t be at the competition due to Covid-19 restrictions, he shared the news about his win on a video call with them.

“That was the only free moment after I got off the ice, and it was really special to be able to see them,” he said.

This is Chen’s first Olympic gold medal and second time competing at the games, as he has redeemed himself from a disappointing performance at the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018.

“I certainly learned the most from my mistakes,” he told Today. “The fact that I was able to get a second chance at the Olympics, I of course didn’t want to lose out on this opportunity”

As noted by the Associated Press, Chen racked up a total of 332.60 for his free skate performance in Beijing. He became the first American figure skater to win a gold medal since Evan Lysacek’s win in 2010.

Chen not only expressed how happy he was to be a figure skating champion, but he also emphasised his gratitude toward his coach.

“My mom and I grew up quite poor,” he told the AP. “We really didn’t have much money. She would just scrap together some dollars to try to pay Raf, and Raf obviously knew about the situation and thanks to the kindness of his heart, was able to just continue taking me in, and taking as much money as we could provide him.”

Previously, Chen has opened up about his relationship with his mother. In an Instagram post shared on Mother’s Day last year, Chen recalled a drive that he recently took with his mom in California to visit their family. And for Chen, being on the road brought back a lot of memories.

“It made me emotional to think of how tirelessly she supported me in my skating career, not once complaining that the drive was too long or too hard,” he wrote in the caption. “Without her support, I never would have made it to where I am now. So, thank you mom for everything you’ve done for me and happy Mother’s Day to the best mom out there.”