Taiwanese-American figure skater Karen Chen first stepped onto the ice at the age of four. By six, she was skating competitively. Now, at the tender age of 23, she has already accumulated an astonishing number of medals, including the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games silver medal in the team skating event and the 2022 U.S. National silver medal.

Chen, who was born in Fremont, California in 1999, is also a talented academic. Currently, she is enrolled at Cornell University’s School of Human Ecology as part of the class of 2023, majoring in human biology, health, and society on a pre-med track.

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At 12 years old, Chen met fellow Fremont native, 1992 Olympic Champion Kristi Yamaguchi, who has since been her skating mentor. Prior to their introduction, Chen was already making waves in the ice skating world as a new competitor. In 2011, she won gold on the national intermediate level and the following year won gold again competing as a novice. She placed fourth on the junior level at the 2013 U.S. Championships the following season and then made her international debut at the 2013 Gardena Spring Trophy, where she won gold on the novice level.

Despite her talent as a figure skater, there is always the danger of injury. While practicing a triple Lutz, Chen sustained a serious fracture in her right ankle and had to withdraw from the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. After four weeks on crutches, she returned to competition in 2014, and over the next several seasons accumulated additional medals and made her international debut.

By 2017, Chen had won gold in the U.S. Championships after placing first in both the short program and free skate. She was an Olympian in 2018 and closed 2021 with a fourth-place finish in the World Championships before earning her silver medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

In a 2022 interview with Cornellians, Chen spoke about competing:

“When I’m at a competition, I need to trust myself and know I’ve done all the training I can, and whatever happens, happens. Sometimes it’s just not your moment — but other times it is, and everything clicks,” she said.