Armenian coach trained world figure skating champion Nathan Chen

PanARMENIAN.Net - Rafael Arutyunyan, a U.S.-based Armenian figure skating coach, trains Nathan Chen who completed quadruple jumps in the free program on Saturday, March 24 to become the first U.S. winner of the men’s world figure skating title since 2009.

In an interview with RIA Novosti, Arutyunyan shares the secret of how to protect an athlete from stress in a major competition.

According to him, when you want your opponents to skate well and realize that with your unmistakable performance you will beat them all, this creates such a normal and very positive psychological background.

“In this condition, the athlete does not need to look around and somehow react to what is happening,” he said.

Arutyunyan said Nathan was absolutely calm at the championships.

“Thanks to the fact that after the [Olympic] Games I was given the opportunity to work very well with him, Nathan was ready to perform perfectly,” the coach said.

Over the years Arutyunyan has guided world champions and Olympians such as two-time Olympic medalist and five-time world champion Michelle Kwan — who came to him late in her career to fix the fit of her boots but stayed for his advice on her technique — Canada's Jeffrey Buttle, Turin Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen, Japan's Mao Asada, and Russia's Alexander Abt, Pyeongchang Olympics bronze medalist Adam Rippon and Czech skater Michal Brezina.