Nagasu says she’s done with Games
The 10th-place finisher at Pyeongchang won’t compete in Grand Prix series or 2022 Winter Olympics.
Figure skater Mirai Nagasu of Arcadia, who became the first American woman to cleanly land the difficult triple axel jump in the Olympics when she hit it during the team competition at the Pyeongchang Games, won’t compete in the Grand Prix skating series next season and won’t compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics, according to an online article posted by NBC Sports.
Nagasu, whose parents operate a sushi restaurant in Arcadia, made her first Olympic team in 2010 at age 16. She was left off the 2014 team but earned a berth for the 2018 Games. Her triple axel helped the U.S. team win the team bronze medal but she was unable to do the jump again in the women’s individual competition and she finished a distant 10th.
Nagasu, who turned 25 in April, has long been a favorite of figure skating fans because of her vibrant personality and elegant skating. Speaking on Wednesday at an event in New York to promote one of her sponsors, she left open the possibility that she would compete in some lesser events this season.
“After three Olympic cycles, I won’t last another Olympics, but I don’t know about competing [in nonOlympic events] right now,” said Nagasu, who left Southern California to train in Colorado Springs in 2014. “It’s definitely something I have to think deeply on, so I don’t have the answer you’re seeking, but I will always be part of the skating community.”
After her disappointing finish in Pyeongchang, Nagasu said she had been auditioning for “Dancing With the Stars.” She got her chance on that show, but she and partner Alan Bersten were eliminated in the semifinals.
It’s common for skaters to skip competition in the season after an Olympics while they decide whether to train for another four-year cycle or move on with their lives and careers.
Siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani of the U.S., who won ice dance bronze medals at Pyeongchang as well as team bronze, have said they would not compete in the 2018-19 season. Adam Rippon, who won a team bronze and finished 10th in the men’s competition, also has said he would not try for a spot on the U.S. team for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.