Olympic gold medalist Nathan Chen announces to skip 2026 Winter Games to study medicine
Nathan Chen said he will not skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The 26-year-old told the Los Angeles Times he is focusing on medical school instead of training for Milano Cortina 2026.
Chen graduated from Yale University last year and is now applying to medical school. He said taking the MCAT felt more nerve-racking than competing at the Olympics. Chen still holds big records in skating and he won the men's gold medal at the Beijing Games in 2022. This choice means he will not defend his Olympic title in February 2026.
Nathan Chen confirms no return for 2026 Winter Olympics, focuses on medical school
Nathan Chen is a top skater who won Olympic gold in Beijing on Feb. 10, 2022. He has three world championship titles and six U.S. national titles. In 2019 he set the world record for a combined score at the Grand Prix Final. Chen told the Times,
'I just want to open doors to kind of see what's the best sort of approach for me.'
He also said he feels satisfied with his skating career and wants to help people as a doctor. Chen has run skating camps with ice dancer Jean-Luc Baker and choreographer Sam Chouinard and has not skated in competition since the Beijing Games and has focused on school and projects.
Ilia Malinin
set to lead Team USA after Nathan Chen steps away from competition
With Nathan Chen stepping back, Ilia Malinin looks like the favorite for the U.S. men's event in Milano Cortina. Ilia Malinin, 20, has landed the quad axel in competition and won the last two world championships.
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The 2025 world championships showed Malinin's power and the U.S. also won in women's singles and ice dance with Alysa Liu, Madison Chock and Evan Bates. The 2026 Games run in February 2026 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, and Team USA will send skaters who hope to win medals.
Coaches, fans and skaters will watch closely as younger skaters try to fill the spot left by Chen. Chen was born in Salt Lake City and trained at rinks there. He has not ruled out a return.
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