Following his fifth-place finish at the Pyeongchang Games, Chen took a moment to reevaluate his outlook on figure skating and realized the sport isn't the end-all, be-all of his existence. "Having the opportunity to have such a rough skate at the previous Olympics gave me the insight that skating, while it is incredibly important and the thing I've literally done every day since I was three, is also just a passion project for me," he told The Guardian. "All of that sounds a little like I don't necessarily care that much about skating, but skating is important and that's what I've been doing all my life. At some point I will have to take a step away from skating."
Rather than dwelling on the past, Chen is using his experience as an opportunity for growth. "Every competition is just a great opportunity for me to show the work that I've been putting in as well as just to know that I have a limited number of competitions in my life," he said.
