Utah’s Olympian Nathan Chen to be inducted into US Figure Skating Hall of Fame

Salt Lake City's Nathan Chen. Photo: U.S. Figure Skating

St. LOUIS, Missouri — Olympic champion Nathan Chen of Salt Lake City and his longtime figure skating coach, Rafael Arutyunyan, will be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame when it celebrates its 50th anniversary at the national championships next month in St. Louis.

Chen made an appearance at a special medals ceremony at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. 

Joseph Inman, who helped to develop the current scoring system after the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics judging scandal, also will be inducted.

The 26-year-old Chen helped to usher in the era of quadruple jumps in men’s skating, becoming the first athlete to land five different types of quads in competition. He set several Olympic and world records during a competitive career spanning 12 years, and his overall score of 335.30 set during the 2019 Grand Prix Final still stands to this day.

While he won three world titles and six consecutive U.S. titles, Chen will forever be known for the Olympics. He helped the U.S. win team bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games but struggled in the men’s competition, then used that bitter disappointment as fuel to win the men’s competition and help to deliver team gold four years later at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Chen stepped away from competition shortly after the Olympics, though he still skates in occasional shows. He graduated from Yale last year and is pursuing a career in medicine, and he is on the 2034 Utah Olympics Athlete Advisory Committee helping the city prepare to host the Games.

“The Class of 2026 holds the prestigious distinction of being the golden class of inductees as we celebrate the Hall of Fame’s 50th anniversary,” said Richard Dalley, the Hall of Fame’s nominating committee chair. “In every category, this group features legendary recipients whose impact and legacy elevate the significance of this milestone celebration.”

Arutyunyan competed for the former Soviet Union and coached the Russian national team in the late 1990s before moving to the U.S. and settling in California; he became a citizen six years ago. Arutyunyan has coached many U.S. champions, including Michelle Kwan, Ashley Wagner, Sasha Cohen, Adam Rippon and Mariah Bell.

Inman, a classically trained pianist, was appointed to the committee charged with overhauling figure skating’s scoring system after a controversy erupting over the pairs competition at the 2002 Olympics. The longtime judge, referee and technical controller helped to create a system that championed objectivity while bringing program components to the forefront.