Karen Chen | Beijing 2022 Olympic Profile
Team USA figure skater Karen Chen chronicles her journey back to the Olympics and how she rediscovered her love for the sport after almost walking away following the 2018 games.
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
KAREN CHEN: Skiing has been a huge passion of mine ever since I was a five-year-old little girl. And I just love skating, and I love competing. And so I know after 2018 just not having the Olympic skate that I had hoped for and dreamed about, I definitely wasn't quite-- I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted to continue in this sport. And I decided I wanted to be a full-time student at Cornell University. So I was juggling a full load at school and trying to train as well.
But if anything, I don't regret that decision even though I was probably the most stressed out I have ever been. But I did learn so much about myself, and I also somehow gained clarity about how much I truly love skating.
And what's crazy is after 2018 of achieving making the Olympic team, that desire grew, and I wanted more. I wanted to get a triple axel. I wanted to potentially podium. Like all these goals and dreams, they just started to come to my mind. And it really motivates me to train hard and really chase after those dreams.
