FILE PHOTO: 2022 Beijing Olympics - Figure Skating - Exhibition Gala - Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China - February 20, 2022. Nathan Chen of the United States in action. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
Dec 2 (Reuters) - Olympic gold medallist Nathan Chen will be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2026, the organisation announced on Tuesday, recognising the American skater's groundbreaking career in his first year of eligibility.
Chen, who redefined men's figure skating with his mastery of quadruple jumps, will be honoured alongside his longtime coach Rafael Arutyunyan and Joseph Inman, a key architect of the International Judging System (IJS), as part of the Hall of Fame's "golden class" during its 50th anniversary celebrations.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for January 9 during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis.
Nicknamed the "Quad King", Chen became the first skater to land five different types of quadruple jumps in competition and set multiple records during his 12-year career.
The Salt Lake City native is a two-time Olympic gold medallist (2022 men's and team events), a three-time world champion, and a six-time U.S. national champion. He also holds the record for the highest combined score in figure skating history, achieved at the 2019 Grand Prix Final.
He stepped away from competition in 2022 and announced in August that he would not defend his Olympic titles next year.
Chen, who graduated from Yale University in 2024, is the first Asian American man to win Olympic, World, and U.S. titles in figure skating and serves on the Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 Athlete Advisory Committee.
Arutyunyan, who began coaching in the former Soviet Union, has guided multiple world and Olympic medallists, including Chen and reigning world champion Ilia Malinin.
Inman, a former judge and musician, helped overhaul the sport's scoring system after the 2002 Salt Lake City judging scandal.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los AngelesEditing by Toby Davis)
