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Post by Admin on Jan 6, 2018 19:31:04 GMT
Four years ago, Nagasu had her Olympic quest crushed not by a competitive failure but rather a boardroom decision. At the U.S. national championships, the last hurdle for those hoping to reach the Sochi Winter Olympics, Nagasu's third-place finish seemingly cemented a spot on the American team. But the U.S. Figure Skating's selection committee didn't see it that way. "Body of work" was the operative phrase, and the committee reckoned that Nagasu's performances that year didn't measure up. It didn't matter that Nagasu was a seasoned veteran who had thrived at the 2010 Olympics, placing fourth overall. Instead, the final berth for the 2014 team went to Ashley Wagner, who had finished fourth at nationals. So Wagner headed to Russia, and Nagasu's Olympic experience was limited to what she saw on television. Accordingly, no one could have blamed Nagasu if she had spewed some long-simmering venom at this year's nationals Friday night, when she locked up a trip to next month's Pyeongchang Olympics with a stirring free skate that earned a silver medal. Nagasu still had to wait for the selection committee to issue its official decision—at 5 a.m. Saturday, no less—but there wasn't an iota of doubt that redemption was coming her way. Instead of striking an I-told-you-so posture, Nagasu went down a different path. She took the selection committee off the hook and said yes, the decision in 2014 was the right one. "Last Olympic cycle, I felt so disappointed in myself and I had so much regret," Nagasu said. "I did finish in third place, but I was a little bit careless over the season, and I didn't put out the body of work that I needed."
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Post by Admin on Jan 12, 2018 19:16:35 GMT
Nagasu came in a surprising fourth at the 2010 Winter Olympics, which Wagner just missed, while Wagner finished seventh at the 2014 Winter Olympics (and won a team bronze medal) after she was chosen for Sochi ahead of Nagasu in a controversial but ultimately correct decision. “She and I really understand what it’s like to be sitting at home during the Olympics, and what it’s like to be on top,” Wagner said of Nagasu. “She and I sticking around this long is pretty cool.” While Wagner, the 2016 world silver medalist, struggles with jumps that are sometimes flagged for being under-rotated, she also has been remarkably consistent in her 10 national championships, finishing lower than fourth only once while winning three times. Nagasu is a sentimental favorite here this week, with plans to try the difficult triple axel in both her short and long programs, but her career has been plagued by disappointing inconsistency. Since finishing third at the 2014 nationals, she has placed 10th, fourth and fourth. Even this season, she has been unreliable, finishing fourth and 9th in her Grand Prix events.
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Post by Admin on Feb 11, 2018 19:11:12 GMT
Watching a professional figure skating routine is like watching a really legit magic show. You’re completely captivated, and at the same time, completely dumbfounded over how the performers are able to do what they do. Thanks to an Instagram video that was making its rounds this week, the curtain has been lifted ever-so-slightly on how figure skaters master one of the sport’s most difficult moves: the triple Axel. The video, which was posted by The Players' Tribune, features American figure skater and Pyeongchang medal contender Mirai Nagasu using an off-ice apparatus called the Champion Skating Harness. Check out the mesmerizing video below.
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Post by Admin on Feb 12, 2018 18:57:38 GMT
U.S. figure skaters won the bronze medal in the team event on Monday, in an action-packed tournament that saw Mirai Nagasu land a historic jump – and in which Adam Rippon and other Americans showed they're in fine form at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. "This is literally a dream come true for all of us," Nagasu said, in comments transcribed by the Olympics news service. "I think I speak on behalf of the team. We're super excited and we're at a loss for words. I'm really proud of my team." The final results on Monday mirrored the tally from the qualifying rounds one day before: Canada took gold, followed by the Russians and the U.S. team. But in figure skating, a sport in which artistry mixes with strength and technique in unique and unpredictable ways, the old saying rings true: It's about the journey. Nagasu became the first U.S. woman to land a triple axel in Olympic competition, in a powerful performance that brought a score of 137.53 points — a new personal best, according to the U.S. Figure Skating Association.
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Post by Admin on Feb 14, 2018 19:02:16 GMT
U.S. figure skater Mirai Nagasu, 24, made America proud Monday when she completed a historic triple axel during the Winter Games in Pyeongchang. She made 3-1/2 rotations in the air — landing the triple axel — then went on to do eight more triple jumps and high difficulty spins, the Washington Post reported. Nagasu was the first American woman to land the triple axel in Olympic competition. She went on to win a Bronze medal. “It’s historical and something no one can take away from me,” Nagasu said afterward, according to the Washington Post. “I wanted to make America proud.”
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