Riding ’14 Olympic snub, Nagasu spins into history
GANGNEUNG, South Korea — It took the talent, grit and artistry of eight American figure skaters over three days of competition at the Gangneung Ice Arena to deliver the U.S. a bronze medal in the team event.
But the most magical and pivotal contribution came from Mirai Nagasu, and it was over in an instant. In the span of one glorious eye blink, Nagasu, who had been snubbed for the 2014 Olympic team, poured all she had worked toward for four years into the opening jump of her free skate on the final day of the team competition.
And when she landed solidly on one foot after 31⁄ rotations in the air, Nagasu made history, becoming the first American woman to land the high-risk triple axel in the Olympics.
Her program demanded eight more triple jumps as well as high-difficulty spins. But with history now on her resume, Nagasu, 24, sailed through the remaining elements of her program with the joy of a child romping on a playground, grinning more broadly each time she ticked off a skill.
Triple Salchow. Double axel-triple toe loop-double toe loop. Triple Lutz-triple toe loop. She could do these jumps in her sleep.
“It’s historic and something no one can take away from me,” Nagasu said. “I wanted to make America proud.”
That she did, contributing nine valuable points to the Americans’ bronze-medal effort.
Canada, which boasts the world’s top ice dance pair, won gold. The Olympic Athletes from Russia took silver.
The women’s free skate represented the moment Nagasu had waited for since her fourth-place finish at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
She awoke at 4 a.m., nervous about shouldering such a responsibility for her teammates and her country. But she didn’t give a thought to omitting the risky triple axel.
That jump — and the prospect of becoming the first American and just the third woman in history to land it at the Olympics, after Japan’s Midori Ito and Mao Asada — was the sole reason she kept training after being passed over for the 2014 Olympic team.
Even before she could do the triple axel, she dreamed she could. She dreamed of landing it so much, in fact, that she thinks she might have taught it to herself subliminally.
The falls, the bruises and the aches over the years attest otherwise. But Monday was her moment. It was her vindication.
“Midori Ito, Mao Asada and now Mirai Nagasu — all Japanese heritage,” Nagasu said with a proud smile.
“But I am fortunate that I am American, so I’ll be the first U.S. lady to have landed the triple axel (in Olympic competition). So today is a day of accomplishment for me.”