- In full:
- Patrick Lewis Wai-Kuan Chan
- Born:
- December 31, 1990, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (age 35)
- Awards And Honors:
- Winter Olympic Games (2018)
Patrick Chan
-
Who is Patrick Chan?
Patrick Chan, born on December 31, 1990, is a Canadian figure skater celebrated for his grace, artistry, and ability to land quadruple jumps. Over his career, he won three Olympic medals, including one gold, and three world championships (2011–13).
Chan's parents, immigrants from Hong Kong, enrolled him in skating at age five, intending for him to play ice hockey. However, he was immediately drawn to figure skating. He secured national titles at the prenovice (2003), novice (2004), and junior (2005) levels. At the senior level, Chan won seven straight Canadian national titles starting in 2008. He retired from competitive skating after the 2018 Winter Olympics.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What sport does Patrick Chan compete in?
Patrick Chan is a Canadian figure skater known for his elegance, artistry, and ability to land quadruple jumps. He began skating at age five and quickly excelled, winning national titles at various levels. At the senior level, Chan won seven straight Canadian national titles starting in 2008. He won three world championships (2011–13) and three Olympic medals, including one gold. Figure skating involves performing jumps, spins, lifts, and footwork. There are various kinds of figure skating, including freestyle, pairs, ice dance, and synchronized team skating.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What titles or championships has Patrick Chan won?
Patrick Chan is a Canadian figure skater celebrated for his artistry and quadruple jumps. He has won three Olympic medals, including one gold, and three world championships (2011–13).
Chan's other achievements include:
* Seven straight Canadian national titles, starting in 2008
* Gold at the Four Continents event in 2009 and again later
* Silver medal at the 2009 and 2010 world championships
* Gold medals at Skate Canada and the Grand Prix Final in 2011
* An eighth national title in 2015–2016
* Silver medal at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia
* Silver medal in the team event at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia
* Gold medal in the team event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in P’yŏngch’ang, South Korea2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some skills or elements Patrick Chan is known for in figure skating?
Patrick Chan is a Canadian figure skater celebrated for his elegance and artistry. He is also known for his ability to land quadruple jumps. Over his career, he won three Olympic medals, including one gold, and three world championships (2011–13). After the 2010 Olympics, Chan incorporated the challenging quadruple jump into his routines, which contributed to his success, including a world title in 2011, along with gold medals at Skate Canada and the Grand Prix Final.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Patrick Chan start his figure skating career?
Patrick Chan's figure skating journey began when his parents, immigrants from Hong Kong, enrolled him in skating classes at age five, initially hoping he would play ice hockey. However, Chan was immediately drawn to figure skating. By his early teens, he showed great promise in the sport, securing national titles at the prenovice (2003), novice (2004), and junior (2005) levels under coach Osborne Colson. In 2007, he won a silver medal at the junior world championships, the first time in 23 years that a Canadian skater had medaled in the event. At the senior level, Chan continued to excel, winning his first of seven straight Canadian national titles in 2008.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How has Patrick Chan influenced Canadian figure skating?
Patrick Chan, a Canadian figure skater, significantly impacted the sport through his artistry, elegance, and ability to land quadruple jumps. Winning three world championships (2011–13) and ten Canadian national titles, Chan demonstrated his dominance.
Chan's influence extends to the Olympics, where he secured three medals, including a gold in the team event at the 2018 Winter Olympics. His success at major international competitions, such as the Four Continents event, further solidified his role in figure skating.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Patrick Chan (born December 31, 1990, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian figure skater who was known for his elegance and artistry and for his ability to land quadruple jumps. He won three Olympic medals, including one gold, as well as three world championships (2011–13).
(Read Scott Hamilton’s Britannica entry on figure skating.)
Chan was the son of immigrants to Canada from Hong Kong. They enrolled him in skating classes when he was five years old with the expectation that he would take up ice hockey. Chan, however, was immediately drawn to figure skating instead and by his early teens was showing tremendous promise in the sport. Under the guidance of prominent coach Osborne Colson, Chan won national titles at the prenovice (2003), novice (2004), and junior (2005) levels. Following Colson’s death in 2006, Chan trained under a number of different coaches, including Don Laws and Christy Krall. In 2007 he capped off his junior career by winning the silver medal at the junior world championships, the first time in 23 years that a Canadian skater had medaled in the event.
At the senior level Chan continued to shine, winning the first of seven straight Canadian national titles in 2008. The following year he earned his first victory at a major international competition, claiming gold at the Four Continents event before taking silver at the world championships. Chan skated to a disappointing fifth-place finish at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, though he again took silver at the worlds that year. After the Olympics, Chan added the exceedingly difficult quadruple jump to his competitive programs, and his mastery of the move propelled him to a dominating 2011 season, in which he finally broke through to win his first world title and also captured gold medals at Skate Canada and the Grand Prix Final.
(Read Scott Hamilton’s Britannica essay on "Training for Olympic Gold.")
Chan successfully defended his world title in 2012 by skating a solid short program and performing a free skate that featured two perfectly executed quadruple jumps. Earlier in the season Chan had triumphed at the Four Continents championships, where he also finished in front of Daisuke Takahashi. After winning his third consecutive title at the world championships in 2013, Chan was a favourite entering the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. However, he struggled in the free-skate portion and had to settle for a silver medal. He also competed in the newly added team event and won another silver medal. Chan subsequently took a break from skating, opting not to compete in the season’s remaining events.
Chan returned to skating for the 2015–16 season and resumed his dominance of Canadian skating, winning an eighth national title. He finished in a disappointing ninth place at the 2018 Winter Olympics in P’yŏngch’ang, South Korea, but he gained a measure of redemption in the team event, where he helped Canada win the gold medal. Shortly thereafter Chan retired from competitive skating.
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