Figure Skater Nathan Chen on Why He Gave His Other Beijing Gold Olympic Medal to His Mom: 'She Loved It' (Exclusive)

"The medal is an extra little cherry on top," says Nathan Chen, who on Wednesday received his 2022 gold medal from Beijing medal in Paris

Olympic figure skater Nathan Chan (finally!) has the second of his two Beijing 2022 gold medals hanging around his neck — but he’s not quite sure yet what he’ll do with it.

Chen, 25, reveals that when he took home his gold for the men’s singles event in Beijing, he gave it to his mother, Hetty Wang, as a show of gratitude for the support she’s given him along his skating journey.

"We will see!" he tells PEOPLE at the Team USA house on Wednesday, Aug. 7 when asked where his newest medal will live. "I don't know. I mean, I gave my other medal to my mom, so this will probably have to be for someone else. We'll see."

Though Chen says his mother is "not a very touchy feely kind of person," she did appreciate his gesture, and promised she'd look after his hard-earned prize.

"She loved it. She's like, 'Okay, cool. I'll take good care of it, put it in a box somewhere,' " he says.

Chen and his teammates Vincent Zhou, Karen Chen, Alexa Knierim, Brandon Frazier, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue finally received their gold medal for their team performance in Beijing on Wednesday in Paris.

The U.S. figure skating team initially finished in second place to Russia in the event — but after Russian athlete Kamila Valieva tested positive for the banned substance Trimetazidine, the International Olympic Committee launched an investigation, and said no medals would be presented during the 2022 Games.

Related: Olympic Champion Nathan Chen Graduates from Yale, Reveals Where He's Headed Next (Exclusive)

On July 25, the IOC announced that Team USA would finally be receiving their gold medals, two and a half years later.

Chen’s family was unable to attend the Beijing Games due to COVID restrictions. But in Paris, his mom, dad and his four siblings were all there to cheer him on.

“This was definitely quite nice to be able to have had that experience with them as well,” he says.

Chen, who recently graduated from Yale University, previously shared a sweet moment with Wang on the Today show in 2022, in which she surprised him on the show’s set. During the segment, Chen placed the medal around his mom’s neck, saying it was “largely hers,” as she has supported him “every single step of the way and there’s no way I would ever make it to where I am now without her support.”

Meanwhile, at the Team USA house, Chen says receiving this second 2022 gold medal alongside his teammates was “so special.”

Related: U.S. Figure Skating Team Finally Receives Gold Medals After 2022 Russian Doping Scandal

“As athletes, our job is to go perform the best that we possibly can. And in the context of Beijing, we were able to go there, do the very best that we could,” he says. “I’m very proud of my team for the programs they laid down — but of course, the medal is an extra little cherry on top. It’s a tangible form of what we’ve accomplished, and not being able to have that for a while definitely put a damper on the team. . . . That was our main wish here after Beijing, to be able to have an opportunity to share the medal together with the rest of the Olympic athletes.”

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