Fact Check: Wait, Is Nathan Chen Retiring From Figure Skating?

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The internet and gossip mill are working overtime, claiming that Nathan Chen announced he is retiring from figure skating. Another rumor is that he is taking a two-year break from the sport. What is the truth? It is time for a fact check about Chen and his future in figure skating.

Is Nathan Chen Retiring From Figure Skating?

The short answer is “no.” Nathan Chen has not announced that he is retiring from figure skating. That being said, the 2022 Olympic gold medalist has stated that he envisions taking a two-year sabbatical from figure skating to focus on his studies at Yale. Discussing his future, Chen told Yale Daily News:

“My future in skating is very undecided. Basically, I would still love to be able to be on the ice every now and then. I definitely won’t be dedicating as much time [to it] while I’m on campus to training. In a soft way, it’s basically saying I’m not really going to be competing.

I’m not really going to be doing too much while I’m at on campus. But I would still like to see if I can maintain some of my skating to see where I am physically and mentally after I graduate. And then make a decision. For now, I’d like to have the opportunity to have two years at college where I’m not focusing on skating.”

As you can tell from the quote, Nathan Chen is speaking in a theoretical. He has not made any formal announcement at this time. If Chen decided to take a breather, it would certainly not hamper his 2026 Olympic prospects. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir infamously returned from their self-imposed 2-year break after the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The most-decorated figure skaters in history returned for the 2016 season before winning the 2018 Olympic gold medal in ice dance. Nathan Chen could follow a similar path, giving his body a rest and returning even better than when he left. The only issue is how far men’s figure skating will have evolved between Chen’s theoretical sabbatical and return.

Ice dance remains rather stagnant while singles skating tends to make bolder strides. For instance, in an exciting off-season development, the United States’ Ilia Malinin landed the Yuzuru Hanyu-pioneered quad Axel in practice. It is important to note that Malinin won silver behind Nathan Chen at the 2022 U.S. National Championships.

Nathan Chen could return to a quad evolution that has him going toe pick to toe pick in an even fiercer podium battle with Ilia Malinin. The emergence of their sports rivalry would be one of the great storylines to watch unfold in the 2026 Olympic season. It would certainly get Team USA talking for more than a minute.

After expertly skating to “La Boheme,” Nathan Chen has more than earned the right to live the “bohemian life.” It will be interesting to follow what he formally decides. Chen took the past two years off from school to focus on preparing for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Perhaps, it is time for a similar break, with figure skating taking a back seat for a while.

Fact Check

This rumor is false. Nathan Chen has certainly talked about the possibility of stepping away from figure skating after the 2022 Olympics. Whether or not he decides to follow through will not get revealed until a formal announcement is made. It stands to reason he will want to return for his third Olympics to defend his gold medal.