Emily Chan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Emily Chan |
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Emily Chan and Spencer Chan at the 2024 World Championships
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| Personal information | |
| Country represented |  United States |
| Born | August 11, 1997 McKinney, Texas, United States |
| Height | 1.61 m (5 ft 3+1⁄2 in) |
| Partner | Spencer Akira Howe (since 2020) |
| Coach | Alexei Letov |
| Skating club | Dallas Figure Skating Club |
| Began skating | 2001 |
Emily Chan (born August 11, 1997) is a talented American pair skater. She skates with her partner, Spencer Howe. Together, they have won many important medals. They are two-time silver medalists at the Four Continents Championships (in 2022 and 2023). They also earned two silver medals in the Grand Prix series (at 2022 Skate America and 2022 NHK Trophy). At the U.S. national championships, they won silver in 2023 and pewter (fourth place) in 2022 and 2025.
Before becoming a pair skater, Emily competed in women's singles. She was the U.S. national junior champion in 2016 and the U.S. national novice champion in 2015.
About Emily Chan
Her Early Life
Emily Chan was born on August 11, 1997, in Pasadena, Texas. Her father was born in Hong Kong, and her mother was born in Taiwan. Emily has a younger brother named Alan.
She went to school in Pasadena and later in McKinney, Texas. Besides skating, Emily also learned Chinese modern dance and ballet.
Coaching Young Skaters
Later in her skating career, Emily started coaching young figure skaters. She taught at The Skating Club of Boston, helping new skaters learn the sport.
Her Relationships
Since 2024, Emily has been in a relationship with Aleksandr Selevko, a singles skater from Estonia.
Emily's Skating Journey
Starting in Single Skating
Emily began figure skating in 2001 when she was just four years old. She competed at the novice level for several years. At the U.S. Championships, she won a gold medal in 2015.
In the 2015–16 season, Emily moved up to the junior level. She competed in her first ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Slovakia, finishing sixth. She then won the gold medal at the 2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Emily trained in Plano, Texas, with her coach Aleksey Letov.
Moving to Pair Skating
Early Pair Skating
Emily first competed in juvenile pairs with J. Daniel Vallecilla. In 2008, they won the juvenile title at the U.S. Junior Championships. Later, she skated with Misha Mitrofanov, placing eighth in novice pairs at the 2015 U.S. Championships.
Emily teamed up with Spencer Howe in 2019. They decided to train at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts. Their coaches were Aleksey Letov and Olga Ganicheva. In their second season, they placed seventh at 2020 Skate America and fifth at the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Winning Silver at Four Continents (2021–22)
In the 2021–22 season, Emily and Spencer finished ninth at the 2021 CS Warsaw Cup. In January 2022, they earned fourth place (pewter medal) at the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. This led them to the 2022 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Estonia. They performed very well, earning the silver medal!
More Silver Medals (2022–23)
The 2022–23 season was a big one for Emily and Spencer. They started by winning a silver medal at the 2022 CS U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. Spencer mentioned they were happy, even with some injury challenges.
They received two Grand Prix assignments. They won silver at 2022 Skate Canada International and another silver at the 2022 NHK Trophy. These wins helped them qualify for the Grand Prix Final.
At the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, they won the silver medal, their best result at nationals. Emily said they were "really grateful" for this. They then went to the 2023 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and won their second silver medal there. Emily called it "a special moment."
They ended their season by competing at the World Championships for the first time in 2023, finishing fifth.
Challenges and Comeback (2023–24)
Spencer Howe had surgery in May 2023 for a torn labrum. This meant they had to take a break from training and competition. They hoped to return for the Grand Prix series, but Spencer's recovery took longer. He later said it was about getting to a point where he could skate without pain.
They returned to compete at the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. They won the short program but decided to withdraw from the free skate. Spencer explained it was a "huge milestone" to compete, but they needed more time to get fully healthy.
Despite withdrawing, Emily and Spencer were chosen for the 2024 World Figure Skating Championships in Canada. They finished twelfth overall. Emily saw this as "amazing for us," given their challenges.
Recent Season (2024–25)
Emily and Spencer withdrew from some early events in the 2024–25 season. They placed fourth at the Shanghai Trophy.
On the Grand Prix series, they finished fifth at 2024 Skate Canada International and 2024 Finlandia Trophy. They then earned a silver medal at the 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.
They finished their season by placing fourth at the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Spencer mentioned they were "definitely disappointed" but learned from the experience.
Skating Programs
Pair Skating with Spencer Akira Howe
Emily and Spencer perform different programs each season. Their short program and free skating routines are set to music and choreographed by their coaches. They also sometimes perform exhibition programs.
- 2024–25 Season:
* Short Program: "Give Me Love" by Ed Sheeran * Free Skating: "Io Ci Saro" by Andrea Bocelli & Lang Lang * Exhibition: "Vincent" by Don McLean (performed by Josh Groban)
- 2023–24 Season:
* Short Program: "Craw-Fever" and "I Got a Feelin' in My Body" by Elvis Presley * Free Skating: "Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3" by Muse
- 2022–23 Season:
* Short Program: "Nyah" (from Mission: Impossible 2) by Hans Zimmer * Free Skating: Music from Ghost: The Musical including "Unchained Melody"
- 2021–22 Season:
* Short Program: "Nyah" (from Mission: Impossible 2) by Hans Zimmer * Free Skating: "Elegy For The Arctic" and "Divenire" by Ludovico Einaudi
- 2020–21 Season:
* Short Program: "Onmyoji 2" by Shigeru Umebayashi * Free Skating: "The Prayer" by David Foster, Celine Dion, and Andrea Bocelli
- 2019–20 Season:
* Short Program: "Je Crois Entendre Encore" by Alison Moyet * Free Skating: "On the Nature of Daylight" by Max Richter
Single Skating Programs
When Emily competed in singles, she also had different programs.
- 2016–17 Season:
* Short Program: "Je Suis Malade" by Lara Fabian * Free Skating: "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
- 2015–16 Season:
* Short Program: "I Will Always Love You" (from The Bodyguard) by Whitney Houston * Free Skating: "Chopin" by Edvin Martin
Competitive Achievements
Emily Chan has achieved many great results in her skating career.
Pair Skating with Spencer Akira Howe
- World Championships: 5th (2023), 12th (2024)
- Four Continents Championships: 2nd (2022), 2nd (2023)
- Grand Prix Final: 6th (2022–23)
- U.S. Championships: 5th (2021), 4th (2022), 2nd (2023), 4th (2025)
- Grand Prix Events:
* Skate America: 7th (2020) * Skate Canada: 2nd (2022), 5th (2024) * NHK Trophy: 2nd (2022) * Finlandia Trophy: 5th (2024)
- Challenger Series Events:
* U.S. Classic: 2nd (2022) * Warsaw Cup: 9th (2021) * Golden Spin of Zagreb: 2nd (2024)
- Other International Events:
* Cranberry Cup: 4th (2021) * John Nicks Pairs Challenge: 6th (2021), 2nd (2022) * Shanghai Trophy: 4th (2024)
Single Skating
- U.S. Championships: 20th (2018)
- Challenger Series Events:
* U.S. Classic: 6th (2017)
Junior Single Skating
- U.S. Championships: 1st (2016)
- Junior Grand Prix Events:
* Slovakia: 6th (2015)
- Other Junior Events:
* Gardena Spring Trophy: 2nd (2015)
