Nagasu back on Olympic stage

GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA » Kiyoto and Ikuko Nagasu sat in the arena Wednesday to watch the voice of U.S. figure skating begin perhaps her final appearance on the Olympic stage.

Mirai Nagasu’s parents closed their Arcadia sushi restaurant to travel to Korea for their only child’s triumphant moment.

“My dad usually never has time for my skating, which is OK because they have to make a living somehow,” said Nagasu, who finished ninth in the women’s short program after falling on an opening triple axel.

“For them to put their business on hold and come all the way to Korea to watch me skate” is a big deal, she said. “Especially my dad. He feels responsible not just for my mom and for himself but there are a lot of people who work there too. He’s always saying, ‘I don’t have time for you. I have to feed the people.’ “

Nagasu credits her parents for

instilling a work ethic in her that has led to a second Olympic team, eight years apart. Nagasu used to work and sleep at Restaurant Kiyosuzu, which offers an “Olympic roll.”

“I’m great at dishwashing because of the restaurant,” Nagasu said. “Sometimes I’d ask my mom to pay me for chores and she’d paid me in quarters, which in hindsight is not a lot.”

Nagasu, 24, also took time to endorse her parents’ food.

“I definitely recommend it,” she said.

Nagasu’s resurgence after finishing fourth at the 2010 Vancouver Games has come about while now training in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The change of zip codes has helped Nagasu grow off the ice. Well, sort of. She worked as an “ice girl” for the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. The women parade around the ice between periods in outfits that have led to criticism.

“As a 24-year-old I had expenses to pay,” Nagasu said. “The sushi restaurant wasn’t going to pay for my skating, especially with my long career. You’ve got to do what you gotta do. Also, who doesn’t love watching hockey right at the edge of the board?”

Nagasu has enjoyed meeting new people away from skating. Her team also filled in when the skater competed at the World Championships in Boston at the same time the Avalanche had a game.

“They were more than willing happy to accommodate me,” said Nagasu, who ends the Pyeongchang Games on Friday in the free skate.