Emily Chan
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Emily Chan (born August 11, 1997) is an American
pair skater Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...
. With her skating partner, Spencer Howe, she is a two-time
Four Continents Europeans in the 16th century divided the world into four continents: Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Each of the four continents was seen to represent its quadrant of the world—Africa in the south, America in the west, Asia in the east, a ...
silver medalist (
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
and
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
) silver medalist, a two-time
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
silver medalist (
2022 Skate America The 2022 Skate America was the first event of the 2022–23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Tenley E. Albright Performance Center in Norwood, Massachusetts, from ...
;
2022 NHK Trophy The 2022 NHK Trophy was the fifth event of the 2022-23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Makomanai Ice Arena in Sapporo, Japan, from November 18-20. Medals were awa ...
), and a three-time U.S. national medalist (pewter in
2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
; silver in
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
; pewter in
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
). Earlier in her career, she competed in women's singles, becoming the 2016 U.S. national junior champion and 2015 U.S. national novice champion.


Personal life

Chan was born on August 11, 1997, in
Pasadena, Texas Pasadena () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Harris County. It is part of the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 151,950, making it the 23rd most populous city in Texas and the second mos ...
to a Hong-Kong born father and Taiwanese born mother. She also has a younger brother named Alan. Chan attended Fairmont Elementary School and Fairmont Junior High in Pasadena, and high school in
McKinney, Texas McKinney is a city in and the county seat of Collin County, Texas, United States. It is Collin County's third-largest city, after Plano, Texas, Plano and Frisco, Texas, Frisco. A suburb of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, McKinney is about ...
. In addition to skating, she has also trained in Chinese modern dance and ballet. Later in her competitive skating career, Chan also began coaching young figure skaters at The Skating Club of Boston. Since 2024, she has been in a relationship with Estonian singles skater,
Aleksandr Selevko Aleksandr Selevko (born 23 May 2001) is an Estonian figure skater. He is the 2024 European Figure Skating Championships, 2024 European silver medalist, a two-time ISU Challenger Series bronze medalist, the 2019 Nordic Figure Skating Championships ...
.


Career


Single skating

Chan began figure skating in 2001 at the age of four. She competed at the novice level until the 2014–15 season. At the U.S. Championships, she finished sixth in 2013 and ninth in 2014 before winning the gold medal in 2015. In 2015–16, Chan moved up to the junior level. She made her
ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international figure skating competition, junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded ...
(JGP) debut in
Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
,
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
, finishing sixth. She won the gold medal at the 2016 U.S. Championships. She trained in
Plano, Texas Plano ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "flat surface" /'plano/) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, where it is the largest city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County. A small portion of Plano is located in Denton County, Texas, Denton Count ...
, coached by Aleksey Letov.


Pair skating


Early years

Chan competed for three seasons in juvenile pairs with J. Daniel Vallecilla. In December 2008, the two won the juvenile title at the 2009 U.S. Junior Championships. Nicole Sciarrotta Nichols coached the pair in Texas. Skating with Misha Mitrofanov, Chan placed eighth in novice pairs at the 2015 U.S. Championships She teamed up with Spencer Howe in 2019, and the two decided to train at the
Skating Club of Boston The Skating Club of Boston is a not-for-profit figure skating club based in Norwood, Massachusetts. Founded in 1912, it is one of the oldest skating clubs in the United States, and a founding member of U.S. Figure Skating, the governing body for ...
in
Norwood, Massachusetts Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Norwood is part of the Greater Boston area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,611. The town was named after Norwood, England. Norwood is ...
, coached by Aleksey Letov and Olga Ganicheva. In their second season together, Chan/Howe placed seventh at the
2020 Skate America The 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America was the first event in the 2020–21 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 23–24. Meda ...
and fifth at the 2021 U.S. Championships.


2021–22 season: Four Continents silver

Chan/Howe finished ninth at the
2021 CS Warsaw Cup The 2021 CS Warsaw Cup was held on November 17–20 in Warsaw, Poland. It was part of the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Entries The Int ...
. In January, they won pewter for fourth place at the 2022 U.S. Championships and were sent to the 2022 Four Continents Championships in
Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
, Estonia. Ranked third in the short and second in the free, they moved ahead of Canada's
Walsh Walsh may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walsh (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters Places Australia * Mount Walsh, Mount Walsh National Park Canada * Fort Walsh, one of the first Royal Canadian Mounted ...
/
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to take the silver medal behind fellow Americans Lu/ Mitrofanov.


2022–23 season: Second Four Continents silver

The international pairs scene going into the 2022–23 season was greatly altered by the
International Skating Union The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international sport governing body, governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded ...
banning all Russian skaters in response to their country's invasion of Ukraine. With more podium opportunities for pairs outside of Russia, Chan/Howe began with a silver medal win at the 2022 CS U.S. Classic. Howe said that they were pleased with the outcome in light of injury troubles that had hindered their preparations. Given two
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
assignments for the first time, they won the silver medal at the
2022 Skate Canada International The 2022 Skate Canada International was the second event of the 2022–23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, from ...
. They won a second silver medal weeks later at the
2022 NHK Trophy The 2022 NHK Trophy was the fifth event of the 2022-23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Makomanai Ice Arena in Sapporo, Japan, from November 18-20. Medals were awa ...
, qualifying for the
Grand Prix Final The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final – originally known as the Champions Series Final – is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). It is the culminating event of the Grand Prix Series. Meda ...
. Despite a jump error in the free skate, Chan said they were "very happy with our skate." Chan/Howe struggled at the Final, finishing sixth of six teams. Chan/Howe won the silver medal at the 2023 U.S. Championships, a new best podium placement at the national championships. Chan said they were both "really grateful" for the result. With national champions Knierim/ Frazier declining to attend the 2023 Four Continents Championships in favour of a paid appearance at
Art on Ice Art on Ice is a Switzerland, Swiss figure skating gala. It combines performances of the world's best figure skaters with those of international music stars. The gala is held annually at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, followed by events in other cit ...
, Chan/Howe became the highest-ranked American team in attendance at a home ISU championship. In the short program, Howe fell on his triple toe attempt, but they still placed third in the segment. In the free skate, they overtook Canadians Stellato/ Deschamps for the silver medal, their second. Chan called it "a special moment for both of us." Chan/Howe concluded their season by making their
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
debut, finishing fifth at the 2023 edition in Saitama.


2023–24 season

For most of the 2022–23 season, Howe had been dealing what was eventually revealed to be a torn labrum, which necessitated surgery in May 2023. Chan and Howe resumed training together in July, and initially hoped to be ready to compete on the
Grand Prix circuit Grand Prix Circuit may refer to: * ''Grand Prix Circuit'' (video game), a 1988 motor sports video game *Grand Prix tennis circuit The ITF Grand Prix Circuit was a professional tennis tour for male players founded in 1970 as the ILTF Grand Prix ...
in the fall. However, they subsequently had to withdraw from their assignments, as Howe's return to readiness proved slower than they had hoped. He would later say that the process was about getting "to a place where it’s like, oh, wow, this is what it feels like to actually be able to skate and not always be dealing and managing with pain." Chan/Howe announced that they would return to competition at the 2024 U.S. Championships in
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...
. Despite Chan putting a hand down on the pair's throw loop in the short program, they won the segment by 1.29 points over
Kam Kaam ( Punjabi: ਕਾਮ; ''Kāma'') is one of the five thieves in Sikhism, described as excessive lust or desire. A devout Sikh is expected to be in control of ''Kaam'' at all times. Translation The term has been rendered as translating to ...
/
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. Afterward, they announced their withdrawal in advance of the free skate. Howe explained that the short program was "a big success for us, and a huge milestone to our comeback, but we feel we want to take this time to continue to get healthy and set ourselves up for success." Despite their withdrawal from the national championships, Chan/Howe were named to the American team from the 2024 World Championships in
Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Canada. They came twelfth in the short program, having had issues on their throw and spins. Thirteenth in the free skate, they finished twelfth overall. Chan viewed the result as "amazing for us," explaining that "last year we had a great debut. This year, we have a little bit different circumstances, but we're here and we're grateful."


2024–25 season

Although assigned to compete at the
2024 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition The 2024 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition was held on September 3–4, 2024, in New York City, New York, in the United States. as part of the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in pair skating only. Entries The ...
and the 2024 CS Lombardia Trophy, the pair withdrew from both events. Making their first appearance at the 2024 Shanghai Trophy, Chan/Howe finished fourth. Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix series, Chan/Howe finished fifth at
2024 Skate Canada International The 2024 Skate Canada International was the second event of the 2024–25 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from October 25 ...
and at the
2024 Finlandia Trophy The 2024 Grand Prix of Finland, Finlandia Trophy was the fifth event of the 2024–25 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Helsinki Ice Hall in Helsinki, Finland, from N ...
. They would follow these results up with a silver medal at the
2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb The 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb was held on December 4–7, 2024, in Zagreb, Croatia. It was part of the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. Entries The Internationa ...
. Chan/Howe finished this season by finishing fourth at the 2025 U.S. Championships. "I think we are definitely disappointed just because we worked so hard for this,” said Howe. “I felt like where we came into this competition was a lot different from the other competitions this season. I mean, I guess it’s humbling. Sometimes, you can be as trained as you want, but it goes down to that moment. I will say that this year, we were really fighting for that second world spot, especially after the short.”


Programs


Pair skating with Spencer Akira Howe


Single skating


Competitive highlights


Pair skating with Spencer Akira Howe


Single skating


Detailed results


Pair skating with Spencer Akira Howe


References


External links

*
Emily Chan & Spencer Howe
at SkatingScores {{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Emily 1997 births Living people American female single skaters Sportspeople from McKinney, Texas American female pair skaters Four Continents Figure Skating Championships medalists American people of Hong Kong descent American sportspeople of Hong Kong descent American sportspeople of Taiwanese descent 21st-century American sportswomen