You may not know her by the name Mirai Nagasu, but you may know her as the first female American to land a triple axel in the Olympics. At just age 24, Mirai is making history, or “herstory”, as she said herself after her performance at the Pyeongchang Olympic Games in South Korea.
Born on April 16, 1993, this 5’4’ woman from Arcadia, California started skating when she was only five years old. Getting started with figure skating wasn’t something she or her parents necessarily intended to do, though. In fact, according to her official website, her parents used to take her golfing every day, because that was the career they aspired her to have. One day, however, they couldn’t go golfing because of the rain, so they went ice skating instead. As you can imagine, that day was pivotal in Mirai’s life. After setting foot on the ice, she couldn’t stay away from following her newfound dream of becoming a figure skater.
“[Figure skating] combines athleticism with grace, so it gives skaters a chance to relay stories or messages to the audience while demanding physical strength” asserted Mirai, when asked about her favorite part of the sport. Her least favorite part of skating, however, “is that one bad performance can define a skater.” Mirai experienced this firsthand when she placed third in the 2014 US Championships but was passed over by fourth place skater, Ashley Wagner, for the Olympic team.
Despite bumps along the road, Mirai has numerous accomplishments. The following list is via icenetwork.com:
*2018 U.S. silver medalist
*2017 Four Continents bronze medalist
*2014 U.S. bronze medalist
*2008 U.S. Champion
*2010 U.S. silver medalist, ’11 bronze medalist
*2010 Olympian (placed fourth)
*2011 Four Continents bronze medalist
*2007 U.S. Junior Champion
*2007 Junior Grand Prix Final Champion
*Two-time World Junior medalist (silver in 2007, bronze in ’08)
Her positive outlook and clearly defined goals give her hope for the future. She states on her official website: “My goal is to accept any challenge that life throws me and to become a better person from each experience. I’m going to make mistakes and have success; I hope that under all circumstances, I can come away from everything as a role model and an inspiration.”
Mirai, you are an inspiration to so many and we can’t wait to see what else you accomplish as an American woman both on and off the ice!
Learn more about Mirai Nagasu on her official website or follow her on Instagram or Twitter!