Nathan Chen tells how he earned his 'unreal' gold medal: Focus, friends and a belief in fearlessness

Gold medals are heavier when they’re around your neck.

“It is quite heavy. It still feels unreal,” admits Nathan Chen the day after his gold medal-winning figure skating performance at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

“I've dreamed about this moment for a long time, but I never really actually thought it would be something that could come to fruition,” adds the 22-year-old with his new prized possession clad closely to his check. “So it still just doesn't feel totally real to have this around my neck.”

Less than 24 hours earlier, Chen had done what he couldn’t four years ago: He skated his absolute best on the Olympic stage, from the opening of the short program to the close of the free skate.

Yes, there were bobbles, but instead of taking him off track completely, Chen adjusted as the bumps came his way. Much like his disbelief about winning gold, the American faced doubts as the opening chords of his 'Rocket Man' music boomed over the loudspeakers inside the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing.

"I was just trying to exude an air of confidence for myself,” he explained. "Sometimes when you set your mind to do something, even if you don't feel like it, your body will naturally carry on to that feeling."

The self-messaging was important for Chen, who led after the short program and was set to skate last, with rivals Hanyu Yuzuru, Uno Shoma and Kagiyama Yuma all performing before him – and throwing down strong skates themselves.

Nathan Chen: 'I knew I'd done enough'

While coach Rafael Arutunian and choreographers Shae-Lynn Bourne and Marie-France Dubreuil have helped Chen with what his skating looks like from the outside, his worked with sports psychologist Erik Potterat has changed his mentality from the inside.

"He has been extraordinarily helpful to me during these games," Chen said. "One of the main things that stuck with me that I've been trying to remind myself is just to enjoy this experience.

"The fact that I'm already here at the Olympics, I made it, you know, the rest of this journey at the Olympics is to have fun and experience this this whole crazy adventure."

It’s a different approach to the one four years ago when Chen admitted he arrived at PyeongChang 2018 with only visions of gold – and nothing more. That approach would hamstring him as he faltered in both the short program of the team and individual events, eventually finishing fifth in the men's singles.

In Beijing, it was more of a “let it be” approach. Yes, he was there to work hard and do his best, but he couldn’t put the medal around his neck before the work was done. Every step – on the ice and off it – had to be taken.

“Outcomes are things that are out of my control,” he said. “Sometimes you won't necessarily feel the way that you want to feel. But in order to get to that stage, you can fake it and pretend that you're feeling that way and then your body naturally follows.

"So, you know, putting a smile on my face and having a power pose gets you into this confident mode. And even if you don't feel confident, you will feel confident.”

While he fought for confidence at the start, Chen couldn’t help but break into a smile mid-program a few moments later, then pure joy – elation and relief – at the conclusion of his performance, when it was clear that he had done just when he needed.

"It was really special," he said of that moment. "Immediately, I was like, 'Oh man, at the [single] flip! I wish I could go back and redo that.’ But, of course, I knew I'd done enough to secure the win.

And Raf has told me, ‘Man, the one thing that I don't have is an Olympic champion.’ I know how much he wanted that. So I'm really happy that I was able to be a part of that journey with him."

On his 'wonderful' Beijing experience - and what comes next

Chen appears to have just what he wanted: Win gold, yes, but also take in the experience in a way that he hadn’t in 2018.

He was a frequent face in the crowd watching the figure skating in the days after the men’s event, supporting the ice dancers, women single skaters and pairs teams.

He isn’t looking ahead to next month's World Championships yet as he's yet to confirm his participation. He does have plans to return to school at Yale in the fall, clearly satisfied with the Olympic experience and what it gave to him.

“I've been really lucky to be a part of this U.S. Olympic team,” Chen said. “Some of my best friends in and out of the sport are on this team and it's been really wonderful to be able to share these memories with them.

"Two of my closest training mates, Mariah Bell and Michal Brezina are both here at this Olympics with Rafael, so that's just really been so special.”

Even if he’s not certain as to what exactly comes next, Chen wants his experience to be an example: Of hard work and achievement, sure, but more so of an athlete who maintained their genuine passion and love for the sport.

That’s the advice he’d like to pass on to any young people looking to get into figure skating: Find the love – and keep it.

“I think regardless of what goals you set for yourself, the most important thing is to make sure that you maintain a sense of love and passion for the sport,” he said.

"Of course it's not always going to be a straightforward upwards trajectory and there will be ups and downs. But in the moments of downs, I think it's so important to be able to find a team and continue to fall back on the team and trust that team to support you and help you on your journey."