After spending a few weeks in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics, five local figure skaters were welcomed back to a warm reception in front of Great Park Ice on Sunday, Feb 28.

While crowds were eager to greet the competitors, including gold medal winner Nathan Chang, the newly medaled athletes took time to answer questions and share their experiences of the games with local supporters.

Irvine Councilmember Anthony Kuo helped host the event at Great Park Ice. While this was not Kuo’s first time around the presence of Olympic gold, he added that Irvine is fortunate to produce so many top-tier competitions.

“While it’s not an everyday occurrence, we’re lucky to have had a long history of Olympians in Irvine. I’ve gotten to meet the entire Women’s Water Polo Team as well as a number of swimmers and other athletes, as well. Even so, it’s always an exciting honor and privilege,” he said. “These are the top athletes in their field representing our country, and that they have a tie to Irvine makes it even more special.”

Alex Chang, Director of Figure Skating for Great Park Ice in Irvine, said it was an incredible chance for the community to connect with these local legends after their trip abroad.

“It was a wonderful celebration for the athletes, fans, and the SoCal skating community,” said Chang. “Anthony was so kind to support our event and has been a friendly face since we first opened Great Park in 2019.”

During the ceremony, Nathan Chang answered questions and attributed a lot of his success to his mother.

“There’s no way in the world I would be able to make it to where I am without their support. Since day one, my mom has been there supporting me. It’s really just because of that and all the support she gave me throughout the years. Even now, she’s continuously still supporting me making sure that any goal I have, she can support me any way she can. So in a way, that medal is largely her’s,” he said. “It was an incredible experience and to be able to share it with everyone here. We train together, we see each other every day, and the Olympics are the Olympics, so we had a lot of fun.”

Mariah Bell, a resident of Irvine, became the oldest U.S. women’s national champion in more than 90 years to make it to the 2022 Olympics. While Bell did not medal in Beijing, her message was clear — age should not bar you from accomplishing your goals.

“It took me a long time to get here — I’m 25, which is not super young for Ladies skating, but I want people to know that there’s not an age limit on what you can do, but also if you love what you’re doing that’s the best way to have success. So I was really fortunate to have a great support system. Everybody has the potential to do that if they keep at it.”

Accumulatively, the United States brought back home 22 medals. Of those, eight were Olympic Gold Medals.

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