Karen Chen American singles figure skater Date of Birth: 16.08.1999 Country: USA

Biography of Karen Chen

Karen Chen is an American figure skater, born in Fremont, California, to immigrant parents from Taiwan in 1995. She started skating at the age of four and quickly became dedicated to the sport. Her younger brother, Jeffrey, also participates in figure skating and finished fourth at the 2014 U.S. Junior Championships.

In February 2013, Chen began training with coach Tammy Gambill and relocated with her mother and brother to Riverside. In 2013, she placed fourth at the U.S. Junior Championships and won a pewter medal. The following year, she competed at the Junior World Championships and finished in ninth place. Chen consistently placed in the top ranks at the Junior Grand Prix series during the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 seasons. Although she qualified for the December finals in 2013, she was unable to compete due to an injury.

In January 2015, Chen made her debut at the U.S. Championships in the senior category, finishing third behind Olympic medalists Ashley Wagner and Gracie Gold. At her second Junior World Championships, she improved on her previous performance and secured two spots for the U.S. team.

Entering the adult phase of her career, Chen began the new season in September 2015, finishing fourth at a tournament in Salt Lake City. Just a month later, she competed at Skate America, a Grand Prix event held in Milwaukee, where she placed fifth. She then participated in the Audi Cup of China, another Grand Prix event, and achieved a fifth-place finish. In early December, she earned third place at a tournament in Croatia and improved her performance in the free skate. However, in January 2016, she had an unsuccessful outing at the national championships, finishing eighth.

Chen's pre-Olympic season began with a third-place finish in Salt Lake City in September. In mid-November, she competed at the Cup of China in Beijing, where she achieved a mid-table position and improved her previous performances in the free skate and total score. She finished the season with a sixth-place finish at the Grand Prix Final in Sapporo. In early December, she competed at the Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia, but performed poorly and finished in seventh place.

In January 2017, Chen won her first national championship in Kansas, where she outperformed leading American skaters. In February, she competed at the Four Continents Championships in Gangneung, where she placed in the top twelve. In late March, she had a strong performance at the World Championships in Helsinki, narrowly missing the podium. She secured three Olympic spots for her country and achieved her best results to date. Three weeks later, Chen represented the United States at the World Team Trophy, where she had a less successful showing but contributed to the team's bronze medal.

In late July, Chen began her Olympic season by winning a competition in Anaheim. In September, she won a bronze medal at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic in Salt Lake City. A month and a half later, she competed at the Canadian Grand Prix event, placing in the middle of the field. At the national championships in San Jose, Chen fought hard and won a bronze medal in a challenging competition.