Biography
With four Canadian championship titles before he even became a teenager, Nam Nguyen demonstrated not only extraordinary talent, but also the dedication and determination to rise to the top of his sport. In 2015, he added a Canadian senior title and a top five finish at the World Figure Skating Championships to his resume, making it clear he has what it takes to be a force in the skating world.
Not content being known as the youngest skater to win Canadian junior and senior titles, Nguyen has focused on becoming the best. Landing two clean quadruple jumps in his free skate, Nguyen reclaimed the Canadian title in 2019.
“I always strive to improve more,” said Nguyen. “I don’t focus too much on my achievements for a long period of time. I like to keep working hard.”
Nguyen first took to the ice at age 5 to play hockey. A year later, he started skating lessons to improve his hockey skills and fell in love with figure skating. He gave up hockey at age 8 after winning his first Canadian title, juvenile men.
When a coach shared with Nguyen and his parents his thoughts on Nguyen’s long-term potential in the sport, they were all a bit surprised. His parents were dubious, but Nguyen had an inner conviction that the coach was right.
“Something inside told me that I actually do have the potential and in order to make that happen I’ve got to train really hard for it,” he said.
For several years, Nguyen trained at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club alongside two-time Olympic men’s gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu and two-time World Champion Javier Fernández. Practice sessions had the intensity of an official competition practice, and Nguyen learned from his training mates.
“I watched and learned from the two best skaters in the world,” he said. “Taking whatever helped them and trying to apply it to my own skating.”
At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, BC, Nguyen was chosen to perform a solo in the figure skating exhibition. “I was very happy and felt so grateful to represent the youth in the province of British Columbia and also for all the young kids in Canada showing the world that we love to skate and like to entertain people,” Nguyen said.
Today, he is still driven by a love of performing.
“Whenever I’m at a competition and there’s a large number of people watching, I feed off of their energy when they support me,” Nguyen said. “I like to perform for the audience and for the judges too because it takes the pressure off. It allows me to have fun and do the best I can.”
In the Spring of 2022, Nam announced his retirement from competitive figure skating. Currently, Nam is a power skating coach with minor and professional hockey clients. Nam enjoys living in Toronto with his dog Hudson. Nam is looking forward to performing in front of the Canadian audience.
Fans can keep up with Nguyen’s travels on Twitter & Instagram: @namnamnoodle.
