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Jeffrey Chen

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Jeffrey Chen
陳楷捷
Wolfkostin/Chen at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics
Born (2002-07-21) July 21, 2002 (age 22)
Fremont, California
HometownWolverine Lake, Michigan
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Figure skating career
Country United States
PartnerYahli Pedersen
CoachCharlie White
Greg Zuerlein
Tanith Belbin White
Skating clubPeninsula SC
Began skating2010
Medal record
Representing  United States
Figure skating: Ice dance
Winter Youth Olympics
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Lausanne Ice dance

Jeffrey Chen (born July 21, 2002) is an American ice dancer, who currently skates with Yahli Pedersen. They are the 2023 JGP Turkey silver medalists.

With his former skating partner, Katarina Wolfkostin, they were the 2021 U.S. junior national champions, the 2021 French JGP champions, the 2021 JGP Slovenia silver medalists, the 2020 U.S. junior national silver medalists, and the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics bronze medalists.

Personal life

Jeffrey Chen was born in Fremont, California, on July 21, 2002, to Taiwanese parents, Hsiu-Hui Tseng and Chih-Hsiu Chen.[1] His older sister Karen also represents the U.S. internationally in singles.[2] Chen enjoys hip-hop dance, gaming, and photography.[2] He has a pet sun conure named Mango.[3]

Career

Early career

Chen began skating in 2010 after following his older sister Karen onto the ice.[4][5] He competed in singles until the 2014–15 season and was the 2014 U.S. national juvenile pewter medalist.[6] As a singles skater, Chen trained in Riverside, California, alongside his sister under Tammy Gambill.[1]

Chen switched to ice dance and teamed up with Layla Karnes in the 2015–16 season. Together, they were the 2016 U.S. national juvenile ice dance champions and the 2017 U.S. national intermediate silver medalists.[7] Chen then moved to Michigan to live with his mother, and he then changed coaches and began training with Marina Zoueva before the next season. He competed with Gianna Buckley during the 2017–18 season, winning the 2018 U.S. national novice silver medal.[1][8] Chen then skated two months with Anna Lavrova during the 2018–19 season, but the partnership ended before the 2019 U.S. Championships.[3]

2019–2020 season

Chen began skating with Katarina Wolfkostin in 2019, and he moved to train with her coaches, Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo, in Novi, Michigan.[3] They placed fifth in their international debut at 2019 JGP France. Wolfkostin/Chen improved to fourth at 2019 JGP Russia after placing second in the free dance. They won the inaugural U.S. Ice Dance Final to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Championships.[3] Wolfkostin/Chen won their first international medal at the 2019 Golden Spin of Zagreb, earning the silver medal behind Ushakova/Nekrasov of Russia.

Wolfkostin/Chen were named as the sole ice dance entrant on the U.S. team for the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics.[9] They were fifth after the rhythm dance, before placing third in the free dance, to win the bronze medal overall behind Russians Khavronina/Cirisano and Tyutyunina/Shustitsky.[10] Their medal was the first won by Team USA at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics.[11][12] Wolfkostin/Chen were drawn as part of Team Determination for the team event, alongside singles skaters Cha Young-hyun of South Korea and Nella Pelkonen of Finland and pairs skaters Brooke McIntosh / Brandon Toste of Canada. They placed fourth in the free dance segment to help Team Determination finish fourth after losing the tie-breaker.

Wolfkostin/Chen placed fourth in the rhythm dance and second in the free dance to win the silver medal at the 2020 U.S. Championships, behind Nguyen/Kolesnik.[13] Assigned to compete at their first World Junior Championships, they placed seventh.[14]

2020–2021 season

The season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with domestic competitions initially changed to a virtual format, leading up to the 2021 U.S. Championships. Wolfkostin/Chen placed first in the rhythm dance and first in the free dance in both rounds of the 2020 Virtual ISP Points Challenge,[15][16] and second in the free dance at the 2020 Virtual U.S. Championship Series.[17] Wolfkostin/Chen then competed at the 2021 U.S. Championships, after Chen was medically cleared to skate after a second opinion was obtained following a knee injury, originally thought to be an incapacitating ACL tear. Despite the injury, they placed first in both the rhythm and free dance, earning them the gold medal for the national title.[18][19][20]

2021–2022 season

Returning to international competition for the first time in over a year, Wolfkostin/Chen began on the Junior Grand Prix by competing at the first French JGP of 2021, in Courchevel. They placed first in both segments, easily winning the gold medal.[21] At their second event, 2021 JGP Slovenia, they placed third in the rhythm dance but made up ground in the free dance, placing second in that segment and placing second overall.[22] Assigned to their first senior event just a few weeks later, Wolfkostin/Chen placed ninth at the 2021 CS Cup of Austria.[23] Their JGP results had qualified them for the 2021–22 Junior Grand Prix Final, but it was subsequently canceled as a result of travel restrictions prompted by the COVID-19 Omicron variant.[24]

Rather than seeking to defend their national junior title, Wolfkostin/Chen opted to compete as seniors at the 2022 U.S. Championships. They finished in sixth place overall, notably beating former national pewter medalists Carreira/Ponomarenko.[25] When the U.S. team was announced for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Wolfkostin/Chen were named as alternates.[26]

Due to the pandemic, the 2022 World Junior Championships could not be held as scheduled in Sofia in early March and, as a result, were rescheduled for Tallinn in mid-April.[27] Due to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the International Skating Union banned all Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating, which had a significant impact on the field of figure skating and ice dance.[28] Wolfkostin/Chen were considered frontrunners for the title, however, following a fall at the beginning of the rhythm dance, they placed ninth in that segment, 6.40 points behind third-place Bashynska/Beaumont of Canada.[29] Wolfkostin/Chen mounted a comeback in the free dance, placing second in that segment with a score within 0.04 points of their personal best, which raised them to fourth place overall. They finished 0.37 points back of bronze medalists Bashynska/Beaumont.[30]

2022–2023 season

Despite their disappointing result at the World Junior Championships, it did not alter Wolfkostin and Chen's plans to move up to the senior level for the following season. Chen would later explain their reasoning that "we had already competed a bit in seniors last year, and we were excited to move into seniors. We feel that it's inspiring and helps us grow faster. It also relieves a bit of pressure; being the ones who chase after people, instead of being targeted."[31] In addition, Wolfkostin and Chen announced in May that they would be leaving coach Igor Shpilband to train at the new Michigan Ice Dance Academy in Canton, Michigan, under coaches Greg Zuerlein, Tanith Belbin White, and Olympic champion Charlie White.[32] This also aligned with their mutual decision to attend the nearby University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.[31]

The team debuted new senior programs at the 2022 Lake Placid Ice Dance International, where they won the bronze medal. Shortly afterward, they appeared on the Challenger series at the 2022 CS U.S. Classic, finishing sixth.[33] At their second Challenger, the 2022 CS Budapest Trophy, Wolfkostin/Chen won the bronze medal, setting three new personal bests in the process.[34] In November, they were invited to make their senior Grand Prix debut, finishing in eighth place at the 2022 Grand Prix de France.[35] They were tenth at the 2022 NHK Trophy, struggling with level issues on several elements.[36] Chen later said that illness and a training injury had hindered them during the Grand Prix.[31] At the 2023 U.S. Championships, they placed tenth in the rhythm dance and fifth in the free dance, resulting in a seventh place finish overall.[23]

On February 8, Wolfkostin and Chen announced the end of their partnership.[37]

2023–2024 season

In April of 2023, Chen formed a new partnership with Yahli Pedersen. Opting to start their competitive career together on the junior level, they were assigned to the Junior Grand Prix.[38] They won the rhythm dance at the 2023 JGP Turkey in Istanbul, but after Pedersen fell in the free dance they came fifth in that segment and dropped to second place overall behind Ukrainians Pinchuk/Pogorielov.[39][40] At their second event, the 2023 JGP Hungary in Budapest, they placed first after the rhythm dance with a new season's best score. In the free dance, Pedersen fell again and they placed sixth in the segment. They placed second overall, coincidentally behind a different Ukrainian dance team, taking their second consecutive silver medal.[41]

Pedersen/Chen's results qualified them for the Junior Grand Prix Final in Beijing. They finished sixth of six teams in the rhythm dance after Pedersen fell in the middle of their foxtrot pattern dance. They were fifth in the free dance, receiving a new personal best, but they remained sixth overall. Pedersen said it was "a little bit hard to regroup" after the rhythm dance error, "but we think we managed pretty well."[42]

Programs

With Pedersen

Season Rhythm dance Free dance
2023–2024
[43]

With Wolfkostin

Season Rhythm dance Free dance
2022–2023
[44]
2021–2022
[45]
  • Rain, In Your Black Eyes
    by Ezio Bosso
    choreo. by Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo
2020–2021
2019–2020
[5]

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix. Pewter medals (4th place) awarded only at U.S. national, sectional, and regional events.

With Pedersen

International: Junior[46]
Event 23–24
JGP Final 6th
JGP Hungary 2nd
JGP Turkey 2nd
National[46]
U.S. Dance Final WD
TBD = Assigned

With Wolfkostin

Wolfkostin/Chen (right) on the podium at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics
International[23]
Event 19–20 20–21 21–22 22–23
GP France 8th
GP NHK Trophy 10th
CS Budapest 3rd
CS Cup of Austria 9th
CS U.S. Classic 6th
Lake Placid IDI 3rd
International: Junior
Junior Worlds 7th 4th
Youth Olympics 3rd
JGP France 5th 1st
JGP Russia 4th
JGP Slovenia 2nd
Golden Spin 2nd
National[23]
U.S. Championships 2nd J 1st J 6th 7th
U.S. Dance Final 1st J
Championship Series 2nd J
ISP Points Challenge 1st J
Team events
Youth Olympics 4th T
4th P
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Canceled event
Levels: J = Junior

With Buckley

National[8]
Event 2017–18
U.S. Championships 2nd N
Pacific Coast Sectionals 2nd N
Levels: N = Novice

With Karnes

National[7]
Event 2015–16 2016–17
U.S. Championships 1st V 2nd I
Pacific Coast Sectionals 1st V 2nd I
Levels: V = Juvenile; I = Intermediate

Men's singles

National[6]
Event 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15
U.S. Championships 4th V 5th V
Pacific Coast Sectionals 5th V 2nd V 3rd V
Central Pacific Regionals 2nd V 1st V 1st V
Levels: V = Juvenile

Detailed results

With Pedersen

2023–24 season
Date Event RD FD Total
December 7–10, 2023 2023–24 JGP Final 6
54.30 		5
90.27 		6
144.57
September 20–23, 2023 2023 JGP Hungary 1
64.90 		6
81.38 		2
146.28
September 6–9, 2023 2023 JGP Turkey 1
63.25 		5
83.12 		2
146.37

With Wolfkostin

Senior results

2022–23 season
Date Event RD FD Total
January 21–29, 2023 2023 U.S. Championships 10
69.05 		5
114.00 		7
183.05
November 18–20, 2022 2022 NHK Trophy 10
64.94 		10
83.07 		10
148.01
November 4–6, 2022 2022 Grand Prix de France 7
64.18 		8
100.71 		8
164.89
October 14–16, 2022 2022 CS Budapest Trophy 3
72.37 		3
108.09 		3
180.46
September 13–16, 2022 2022 CS U.S. Classic 6
60.69 		6
103.38 		6
164.07
July 26–29, 2022 2022 Lake Placid Ice Dance International 1
71.92 		4
103.50 		3
175.42
2021–22 season
Date Event RD FD Total
January 2–9, 2022 2022 U.S. Championships 7
75.28 		6
111.99 		6
187.27
November 11–14, 2021 2021 CS Cup of Austria 10
63.04 		7
101.29 		9
164.33

Junior results

2021–22 season
Date Event RD FD Total
April 13–17, 2022 2022 World Junior Championships 9
57.05 		2
100.22 		4
157.27
September 22–25, 2021 2021 JGP Slovenia 3
62.99 		2
100.26 		2
163.25
August 18–21, 2021 2021 JGP France I 1
64.75 		1
100.26 		1
165.01
2020–21 season
Date Event RD FD Total
January 11–21, 2021 2021 U.S. Championships 1
68.81 		1
98.41 		1
167.22
2019–20 season
Date Event RD FD Total
March 2–8, 2020 2020 World Junior Championships 7
64.77 		7
94.43 		7
159.20
January 20–26, 2020 2020 U.S. Championships 4
60.93 		2
100.46 		2
161.39
January 10–15, 2020 2020 Winter Youth Olympics – Team – 4
90.41 		4T/4P
January 10–15, 2020 2020 Winter Youth Olympics 5
57.02 		3
95.41 		3
152.43
December 4–7, 2019 2019 Golden Spin of Zagreb 1
66.52 		2
97.29 		2
163.81
November 12–16, 2019 2020 U.S. Ice Dance Final 1
66.23 		2
94.68 		1
160.91
September 11–14, 2019 2019 JGP Russia 6
54.91 		2
93.90 		4
148.81
August 21–24, 2019 2019 JGP France 4
58.90 		5
89.03 		5
147.93

References

  1. ^ a b c Lewis, Michael C. (January 2, 2018). "Fremont's Jeffrey Chen and partner earn silver medal at U.S. Skating Championships". The Mercury News.
  2. ^ a b Truby, Olivia (January 11, 2020). "Figure skater Jeffrey Chen, brother of Olympian Karen Chen, makes own identity on the ice". United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen". U.S. Figure Skating.
  4. ^ "Interview: Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen". In the Loop. August 21, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Katarina WOLFKOSTIN / Jeffrey CHEN: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Jeffrey Chen". Stats on Ice.
  7. ^ a b "Layla Karnes & Jeffrey Chen". Stats on Ice.
  8. ^ a b "Gianna Buckley & Jeffrey Chen". Stats on Ice.
  9. ^ Edmonds, Jamie (January 7, 2020). "Meet this Metro Detroit ice dancing duo with big dreams that are starting to come true". WDIV-TV.
  10. ^ "The future of figure skating is now". International Olympic Committee. January 17, 2020.
  11. ^ Truby, Olivia (January 13, 2020). "Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen skate to bronze for Team USA's first medal at Youth Olympic Games". United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020.
  12. ^ Wickliffe, Greg (January 13, 2020). "Ann Arbor-based ice skaters earn Team USA's first medal of 2020 Youth Winter Olympics". Michigan Live.
  13. ^ "First Junior Champions Crowned at U.S. Championships". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. January 22, 2020.
  14. ^ Slater, Paula (March 7, 2020). "Nguyen and Kolesnik dance to Junior World title". Golden Skate.
  15. ^ "International Selection Pool (ISP) Points Challenge Competition Central". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. September 8, 2020.
  16. ^ "Wolfkostin and Chen Strive for Continued Success in Second Season Together". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. September 17, 2020.
  17. ^ "2021 U.S. Championship Series Presented by Toyota Competition Central". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. December 18, 2020.
  18. ^ "Junior Champions Crowned as the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships Conclude". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. January 21, 2021.
  19. ^ Ellis, Drew (February 15, 2021). "Chen and Wolfkostin Building Off of Junior Figure Skating Championship". The Oakland Press.
  20. ^ Gay, Colin (February 18, 2021). "Katarina Wolfkostin Jeffrey Chen Win 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Title". Hometown Life.
  21. ^ "American Juniors Golden in Courchevel". International Figure Skating. August 23, 2021.
  22. ^ "Russia sweeps gold medals at ISU Junior Grand Prix in Ljubljana (SLO)". International Skating Union. September 27, 2021.
  23. ^ a b c d "Katarina WOLFKOSTIN / Jeffrey CHEN: Competition Results". International Skating Union.
  24. ^ "Figure skating Grand Prix Final cancelled over travel rules". CBC Sports. December 2, 2021.
  25. ^ Slater, Paula (January 9, 2022). "Chock and Bates edge out teammates for U.S. title". Golden Skate.
  26. ^ "2022 U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team Nominated". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. January 8, 2022.
  27. ^ "ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2022 allotted to Tallinn (EST)". International Skating Union. March 4, 2022.
  28. ^ "ISU Statement on the Ukrainian crisis – Participation in international competitions of Skaters and Officials from Russia and Belarus". International Skating Union. March 1, 2022.
  29. ^ Slater, Paula (April 15, 2022). "Siblings Brown and Brown dance to lead at 2022 Junior Worlds". Golden Skate.
  30. ^ Slater, Paula (April 17, 2022). "USA's Oona Brown and Gage Brown 'overjoyed' with Junior World title". Golden Skate.
  31. ^ a b c Cloutier, Claire (December 26, 2022). "Wolfkostin and Chen Finding Their Niche in the Senior Ranks". U.S. Figure Skating.
  32. ^ Wolfkostin, Katarina (May 9, 2022). "We want to share the news with everybody that we left Novi. There's so much I could say but I'll just say I'm so thankful for all that I learned!" (Instagram).
  33. ^ Sausa, Christie (September 15, 2022). "Pate and Bye, McNamara and Spiridonov Capture Silver and Bronze in Lake Placid". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.
  34. ^ Sausa, Christie (October 16, 2022). "Ziegler wins gold, Wolfkostin and Chen earn bronze at the 2022 Budapest Trophy". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.
  35. ^ "Team USA Earns Two Top Five Finishes to Close the Grand Prix de France". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. November 5, 2022.
  36. ^ Lutz, Rachel (November 19, 2022). "U.S. Earns Two Ice Dance Medals, One Pairs Medal at NHK Trophy with Spots at the Grand Prix Final on the Line". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.
  37. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/CoaSJMSLE-O/?hl=en
  38. ^ "Ten U.S. Juniors to Compete at Junior Grand Prix in Turkey". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. September 4, 2023.
  39. ^ "Ami Nakai (JPN) and Rio Nakata (JPN) secure Junior Grand Prix Final spot in Istanbul (TUR)". International Skating Union. September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  40. ^ "Team USA Juniors Shine in Istanbul, Earning Two Silvers". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. September 11, 2023.
  41. ^ "Six Skaters celebrate their spots for ISU Junior Grand Prix Final after competing in Budapest (HUN)". International Skating Union. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  42. ^ Slater, Paula (December 9, 2023). "USA's Neset and Markelov dominate in Beijing". Golden Skate. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  43. ^ "Yahli PEDERSEN / Jeffrey CHEN: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023.
  44. ^ "Katarina WOLFKOSTIN / Jeffrey CHEN: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022.
  45. ^ "Katarina WOLFKOSTIN / Jeffrey CHEN: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021.
  46. ^ a b "Yahli PEDERSEN / Jeffrey CHEN: Competition Results". International Skating Union.
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