Three skaters of Chinese descent are among a history-making contingent of Asian origin in the American team at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in the Republic of South Korea. 

According to a US Figure Skating report, half of Team USA's 14 figure skaters are Asian Americans,  a record. 

The seven – Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Mirai Nagasu, sibling ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani and Vincent Zhou – reflect a growing trend of  Asian representation in the sport. Three of the seven are of Chinese descent. 

Karen Chen is the youngest of the female skaters at 18 years old. In 2015, she placed third at the US national championships. Two years later, she became the national champion, becoming even more popular.  Chen earned herself a spot on Team USA by finishing third at this year’s nationals despite battling flu. 

She has written a book called “Finding the Edge” about her life as a figure skater that includes a foreword by her mentor and Olympic figure skating superstar Kristi Yamaguchi.  

Chen's parents moved to the US from Taiwan in 1995. A few years later she was born.  Chen, who speaks fluent Mandarin, said she spent a lot of her childhood in Taiwan with her grandparents.

Chen told Team USA,“I’m really proud of my heritage and where I came from. I am proud of who I am and what that represents.”  

Nathan Chen, no relation, is one of the youngest males on the team and only a few months older than Karen.  He credits his Olympic qualification to his Chinese immigrant parents who he said encouraged him to never give up. Chen is no stranger to making history; at the 2017 US Figure Skating Championships, he became the first skater to ever land five quadruple jumps in one routine. This remarkable feat came only a year after Chen suffered a hip injury that benched him for six months. The first-generation American's parents immigrated from China in 1988. 

Karen and Nathan made history together when they both won singles champions at nationals, the first time that both winners were of Asian descent. 

“We come from a similar background and both our parents went through a lot to give us the opportunity to skate and help us be successful,” Nathan Chen told Team USA's website.  “I think what Karen and I represent is everything that our parents stand for and how they raised us.” 

Another Chinese member in the US Figure Skating team is Vincent Zhou. He is the youngest member of the team at 17. Both of his parents moved to the US from Beijing in 1988. Zhou speaks Mandarin fluently, having attended Chinese school every weekend until the age of 12. His first time on the ice was at age 3. 

Zhou shared with fans on Instagram his fears and uncertainty on the ice.

"I am young, ambitious, hungry, and motivated. But most importantly, I am still learning,"  he said. "I am learning how to balance my training. I am learning about the danger of ambition. I am learning what it takes to succeed." 

The US Olympic Committee said the 2018 US Olympic Team is the most diverse on record with 11 Asian Americans and 10 African Americans.

During the 2017 season, 39 percent of the top US skaters in the men's and women's singles elite program were of Asian descent, according to Team USA.  Meanwhile, Asian Americans represent about less than 6 percent of the US population. 

Netizens have been overjoyed at seeing the exuberance of "Asian" faces on the US team. Popular Asian American blog, Angry Asian Man, celebrated the team's significant representation with this post. 

“Look at all those all-American faces on the podium at the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championship! And by all-American, I mean Asian American, set to represent the US next month at the Winter Olympics. …We will be rooting for you, Team Asian America.”