The Olympic Games are always a source of inspiring and jaw-dropping moments. And we can thank American figure skater, Mirai Nagasu, for wowing us with her historic performance at the free skate event last night.
Nagasu hails from Arcadia, California, and now trains in Colorado Springs. She’s been skating since she was five years old. And while she took part in the 2010 Winter Olympics, she didn’t bring home with a metal.
What she did go home with was a renewed sense of determination and a hunger to win. And that’s exactly what she brought to this Winter Olympics in South Korea – along with one very important and strategic move: the challenging triple axel.
It’s a difficult move, and one which the other members of the US team aren’t able to do yet. And Nagasu was the only skater who planned to include it in her routine. And while it’s a move that can garner lots of points, it’s also come at a price.
Nagasu admits that due to all the falls she’s sustained in practicing it, she feels it in her body, especially her hips.
But that didn’t keep her from attempting it at the beginning of her routine. And while she didn’t fall, she did have a two-footed landing. It was an impressive attempt, but it wasn’t a successful triple axel.
So, just before the close of her performance, Nagasu went for it again and landed it perfectly, bringing the audience to their feet.
Her performance makes her one of just three American female skaters to have landed the triple axel at the Olympics, the others being Tonya Harding and Jimmie Meissner.
We can’t wait to watch the rest of Nagasu’s performances.
