Mirai Nagasu
Figure Skating - Singles
2010 Olympic hopeful
Personal Specs
Height: 5'3"
Short List Performance
- 2008 U.S. Champion
- 2007 World Junior Championships silver medalist
- 2008 World Junior Championships bronze medalist
- 2007 U.S. Junior Champion
- Ranked No. 21 in the ISU World Standings as of May 2009
Vancouver Watch
Nagasu became the next star teen in American figure skating when she won the 2008 U.S. title at the age of 14. She became the second youngest woman to win the title (Tara Lipinski in 1997 is the youngest) and was too young to compete at the 2008 World Championships. Accommodating a four-inch growth spurt, Nagasu finished fifth at the 2009 U.S. Championships. Now that the U.S. women will only have two spots at the Winter Games for the first time since 1994, it may be even tougher to qualify. Still, at 16, she still has plenty of promise and may not have yet reached her peak.
Personal
Nagasu started skating at age 5, thanks to a rainy day that forced her to try a new indoor sport instead of playing golf. She attends Arcadia High School and received financial backing from the Michael Weiss Foundation, the organization headed by the former U.S. men's champion earmarked to fund promising U.S. skaters. Her parents, Japanese immigrants, own a sushi restaurant in Arcadia. Her hobbies include reading and drawing. One of her athletic heroes is fellow figure skater Mao Asada of Japan. After her figure skating career, she would like to enter the fashion industry.
Did You Know...?
- Performed at Rockefeller Center's famous ice rink on NBC's "Today" show after winning the 2008 U.S. title
- Speaks Japanese and did commentating for a Japanese TV station at the 2009 World Championships
- First female skater since Joan Tozzer in 1937-38 to win U.S. junior and senior titles back to back
- Couldn't read her winning scores at the 2008 U.S. Championships because she didn't have her glasses on
- Made the cover of the May 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids