Thanks guys, I've been lurking here since Sochi on an on-again-off-again relationship
BTW: I am not a native speaker, and my background is mostly "occasionally paid attention in my Chinese class", so there are a few sentences which might be translated incorrectly.
So, post attempt #3:
Before writing about Nathan, I first did some research and saw many discussions. Born in 1999, Nathan was labeled as a mature skater early. Some people described his manner of speech as experienced and restrained. Now, I am more willing to put him in the category of a deep thinker or a humble person (according to Eastern standards). It seems as if diasporic Asian athletes often carry themselves that unique way. Whether one wishes to acknowledge such a quality or not, Nathan's demeanor naturally reveals the fascinating spark caused by the collision of eastern and western cultures. It's an environment in where these two cultures mix which Nathan's talent emerges from.
When we bring up Nathan, we have to bring up his earth-shattering redemption "dance" at the PyeongChang Olympics. He perfectly demonstrated the meaning of a comeback and the meaning of rebirth. However, we must realize that accompanying such a comeback is the feeling of regret and the desire to move past what has already happened.
That day, he made history at the PyeongChang by becoming the first man to land six quads, and that day, he made the whole world remember 19-year-old Nathan Chen. After he finished his program, all of his emotions came forth, and one can finally glean from his free skate the true impact of what happened prior. "Nothing to lose" is one way of describing what I saw in his performance. In other words, only by steadfastly moving forward can we realize our goals, and sometimes we must lose something before we learn something about ourselves.
Nathan allowed us to see a world-class, rare jumping talent, who was determined to write history from the moment he set foot on the ice. From the beginning of his career, he was a shining star on the ice, with all eyes focused on this young man. But while the outside world was curious about how much this young man would shake up the skating world, it's actually how genius develops which teaches us the most.
Even prodigies aren't immune to injuries and ills. In an exhibition, people generally are not worried about injuries, and maybe even Nathan himself never imagined such a situation happening. The injury was to the extent that his goal of a world championship faded to dust, and he spent half a year too injured to even skate. To normal people half a year is 6 months, about 180 days, and the time passes fleetingly. But to an athlete who is accustomed to skating every day, every minute, every second of being unable to train on the ice is a form of torture. In this time, one might worry about their future or think about the worse-case scenario - and to a teenager, the worst case scenario is undoubtedly the most painful one. Of course, Nathan returned and finally turned senior. He said his injury undoubtedly made him a stronger person. And that much stronger Nathan returned to his beloved ice and took another step on his journey to his dream of the Winter Olympics.
In 2017, he saw his best career results. His two wins on the Grand Prix Series qualified him for the Final, and as a result it appeared he was only a stone's throw from a podium placement at the Olympics. But at that point, only Nathan can clearly knew the weight of the pressure bearing down on his shoulders. With his unexpectedly dismal result in the short program, before the free skate, perhaps he thought about letting go for a moment, about becoming part of history, about the important battle ahead. With his personal revelation, that day, Nathan, like a true fighter, looked ahead without fear, unshaken by any of the many obstacles in his path.
While his Olympic performance can be called a show of self-determination via heavenly jumping, if we look at the his other competitions, we'll see his ability isn't limited to such. "Le Corsaire" is a personal favorite short program of mine. Both the program composition and musicality are sublime, and the ballet music's fine qualities are vividly portrayed. Each one of Nathan's energetic movements let us on the couch be a part of that youthful energy, energetic and enthusiastic, making us let out a sigh at the wonders of being young.
And yyyskate translated the last paragraph much better than I could.
Hopefully you will be able to post your translation. I love Nathan’s Le Corsaire program 
