Competitive figure skating in the early twenty-first century produced a generation of technically demanding athletes who pushed the boundaries of what was expected at the elite level. Nathan Wei Chen, born on May 5, 1999, in Salt Lake City, Utah, emerged from that environment to become one of the most decorated skaters in American history.

Chen showed early promise, becoming the youngest skater to win a U.S. Championship at the novice level in 2010, at just ten years old, and he successfully defended that novice title the following season. At the junior level he earned a bronze medal at the 2013–14 Junior Grand Prix Final and at the 2014 World Junior Championships, before claiming the Junior Grand Prix Final title in 2015–16. His transition to senior competition brought further success: he won the Four Continents title in 2017, claimed six consecutive U.S. national championships from 2017 through 2022, and became a three-time Grand Prix Final champion and a ten-time Grand Prix medalist. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, he took home a team event bronze medal, and he went on to claim three World Championship titles. He was educated at Rim of the World High School, West High School, and Yale University.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Chen won gold in both the men's singles and the team event, capping a career defined by consistent podium results across every level of competition. He was also named to the Time 100, Time magazine's annual recognition list.