Reigning Olympic champion Nathan Chen, who single-handedly delivered the current era of quadruple jumps, will be inducted to the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Chen’s coach, Rafael Arutyunyan, and International Judging System (IJS) architect Joseph Inman will also be inducted in the Class of 2026.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame induction ceremony and reception for the Class of 2026, hosted by Boitano’s Lounge, will be held January 9, from 10 p.m.-midnight CT, at the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis. Tickets for the reception are available here.
“The Class of 2026 holds the prestigious distinction of being the golden class of inductees as we celebrate the Hall of Fame’s 50th anniversary,” Hall of Fame Nominating Committee Chair Richard Dalley said. “In every category, this group features legendary recipients whose impact and legacy elevate the significance of this milestone celebration.”
Nathan Chen | Outstanding Athlete
Nathan Chen expanded the sport’s limits by becoming the first athlete to land five different types of quad jumps in competition. He was also the first to land five total quad jumps in one program. The “Quad King” ranks among U.S. Figure Skating’s most-decorated male athletes despite the pandemic-related cancelations of the 2020 World Championships and 2020 and ’21 Grand Prix Finals, events he was heavily favored to win. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2022 men’s and team event), 2018 Olympic team event bronze medalist, three-time World champion (2018, ’19, ’21), three-time Grand Prix Final champion (2017-19) and winner of six consecutive U.S. Championships titles (2017-22). He is the first since 2001 to win eight consecutive Grand Prix of Figure Skating events and the first Asian American man to win Olympic, World and U.S. titles.
During his 12-year competitive career, Chen set multiple Olympic, World, ISU and U.S. records. Of note, Chen’s record combined score of 335.30 (2019 Grand Prix Final) still stands.
Chen is the first man to land:
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Five quadruple jumps in one program (2017 U.S. Championships and 2017 Four Continents)
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Five different quads — Lutz, flip, loop, Salchow and toe loop — in a competition (2017 U.S. International Classic)
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Six quads in a free skate (2018 Olympics)
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Eight quads in a competition (2018 World Championships)
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A quad Lutz-triple toe loop combination in the second half of the short program (2022 Olympics team event)
A native of Salt Lake City, Chen is a member of the Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 Athlete Advisory Committee for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games.
Chen graduated from Yale University in 2024 and received the Statistics and Data Science Outstanding Thesis Award. He is pursuing a career in medicine.
Rafael Arutyunyan | Outstanding Professional
In his 50th year as a figure skating coach, Rafael Arutyunyan boasts a storied list of athletes including 2022 Olympic champion Nathan Chen and reigning two-time World champion Ilia Malinin. Arutyunyan, a former Soviet national competitor, coached the Russia National Team from 1996-2000 and moved to California in 2000; he became a U.S. citizen in 2019. Arutyunyan is a four-time PSA/U.S. Figure Skating Coach of the Year and was named the 2016 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Coach of the Year for figure skating. He was inducted to the Professional Skaters Hall of Fame in 2020. Over his career, Arutyunyan coached U.S. champions Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, Ashley Wagner, Adam Rippon, Mariah Bell and Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, among others. Arutyunyan’s international champions include Mao Asada (Japan), Jeffrey Buttle (Canada), Alexander Abt (Russia) and Michal Březina (Czech Republic). Arutyunyan is the head coach of the high performance team at Great Park Ice and Five Point Arena in Irvine, California.
Joseph Inman | Outstanding Contributor
After the 2002 Olympic pairs judging scandal in Salt Lake City, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) directed the ISU to replace the 6.0 judging system. Joseph Inman was appointed to a small Ad Hoc committee to design a new, more objective scoring system. A classically trained pianist and percussionist who studied at The Juilliard School, Inman brought music to the forefront by developing the program components for the new International Judging System (IJS). Inman, who judged the 2002 Olympic women’s event, was then tasked to serve as one of four people on the first ISU Officials Assessment Commission, which reviews judges’ marks for accuracy and any suspected bias, favoritism or impropriety. In 2017, the ISU awarded him its ISU Gold Award of Merit, one of only 22 people to receive the honor. Inman served as an ISU Championships and U.S. Figure Skating judge, referee and technical controller in singles and pairs from 1986 to 2018. Master Sgt. Inman served 21 years with the United States Army band as its lead percussionist and substitute pianist for multiple White House events.
