INTERVIEW: For Chen, having fun key to success in Beijing
BEIJING (NEXSTAR) -- When people think back on U.S. skater Nathan Chen's golden performance in Beijing, one of the first things they'll think about is his bold music choices. The 22-year-old American’s diverse musical selections — in this case, a remixed, Elton John-heavy “Rocketman” medley of classic rock, pop, hip-hop and rap — marked a new, edgier dawn for winning performances.
In an interview with KXAN's Jala Washington, Chen said the unique music helped him have fun during an otherwise stressful situation.
"No matter how tired you are halfway through the program, as soon as that music hits, you're like 'let's go,'" Chen said.
If he could point to a single moment in the music that made a difference, Chen said it was when the “Bennie and the Jets” remix hit.
"I almost got a little carried away and lost my footing for a second," Chen said, chuckling. "But, you know, it happens."
Focusing on fun was a mindset that Chen said helped make Beijing a better experience than previous competitions. He said having an optimistic frame of mind is important because "the body naturally follows that." Chen noted a sports psychologist helped get him in the right frame of mind to compete in these Games.
With the Beijing Olympics behind him, Nathan Chen said he’s looking forward to going back to school and is undecided about what’s next for him in the sport. He's been on leave since the fall of 2020 from Yale University, where he is majoring in statistics and data science. He opted to pause his education and focus on skating after the pandemic began.
Get the latest on how our Texans are doing in the Olympics by signing up for push alerts on the KXAN News App and our More Than The Score newsletter. Join us at noon every weekday for our stream highlighting memorable moments and KXAN's team in Beijing.
The “Quad King” said he’s unsure if he’ll compete at the world championships next month in France.
“I will think about it a little bit and talk to everyone else on my team and see what their feelings are and then kind of go from there,” Chen said a press conference with reporters.
He also said he was undecided on whether he’ll set goals to master even more difficult jumps after landing five quads in his winning free skate program.
“I think that definitely goes hand-in-hand with deciding what the future entails for me … certainly there’s going to be other standouts coming out very rapidly so it’s going to be very interesting and fun to be able to track how skating progresses,” Chen said. “As for me, you know, it’s still (to be determined) as well.”
It’s not uncommon for figure skaters to skip the world championships in an Olympic year, choosing to take a break from a long grind that begins early in the fall and continues with the Grand Prix season rather than continuing to train.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)