Mirai Nagasu
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| Nagasu (center) at the 2007-2008 Junior Grand Prix Final | ||
| Personal Info | ||
| Country: |  United States |
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| Date of birth: | April 16, 1993 | |
| Residence: | Arcadia, California | |
| Height: | 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) | |
| Coach: | Charlene Wong, Sashi Kuchiki, Sondra Holmes, Bob Paul, Jim Yorke | |
| Former Coach: | Sandy Gollihugh | |
| Choreographer: | Lori Nichol | |
| Skating Club: | Pasadena FSC | |
| ISU Personal Best Scores | ||
| Short + Free Total: | 163.84 | 2007 World Juniors |
| Short Program: | 65.07 | 2008 World Juniors |
| Free Skate: | 106.62 | 2007 World Juniors |
| Most Recent Results : | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Points | Finish | Year |
| World Junior Championships | 162.89 | 3rd | 2008 |
| Junior Grand Prix Final | 162.09 | 1st | 2007 |
Mirai Aileen Nagasu (born April 16, 1993) is an American figure skater. She is the 2007 World Junior silver medalist, 2008 World Junior bronze medalist, and 2008 U.S. national champion & Junior Grand Prix Final Champion.
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[edit] Personal life
Born in Montebello, California, Nagasu is a second-generation Japanese-American. Because Nagasu was born in the United States, but both her parents were born in Japan, she has dual citizenship with the United States and Japan. According to Japanese law, she must choose which citizenship to maintain before her 22nd birthday.[1] She has always competed for the United States.
Nagasu graduated from Foothills Middle School in the spring of 2007 and entered Arcadia High School in Arcadia, California in the fall of 2007.
Because of her Japanese heritage, Nagasu has received a lot of publicity in Japan. Beginning with her win at 2007 Nationals, Nagasu began to be featured in news stories along with Japanese skaters Mao Asada and Miki Ando, leading to speculation in the Japanese media that Nagasu was being courted by the Japanese Skating Federation to switch countries.[2] In the summer of 2007, Nagasu performed in ice shows in Japan. In the fall of 2007, after winning both her two Junior Grand Prix events, Nagasu took part in the International Counter Match "made for television" event in Japan. There, Nagasu was part of team USA and competed against team Japan. In the promotion and news coverage of the event, Nagasu's presence and participation was given nearly as much coverage as Ando's and Asada's. Even as far into her career as October 2007, after Nagasu had already qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final for the United States, the Japanese media still speculated about her possible choice to switch to skating for Japan.[3]
[edit] Career
Nagasu won both her regional and sectional competitions in the fall of 2006 to qualify for the 2007 Nationals. Her win at the 2007 Nationals came as a surprise, as she had failed to make it out of regionals, the first qualifying competition for the U.S. Championships, on the novice level the year before, and came in as a complete unknown. She had moved up to Junior for 2006/2007, despite not making it to Nationals as a novice. The 2007 Nationals were was her first time competing at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and she won the junior title over heavy favorite Caroline Zhang.[4]
Nagasu went on to the 2007 World Junior Championships. She did not have a Personal Best on record, so she skated in the first half of the ladies short program. She was ranked second after the short program. She placed second in the free skate as well, placing second overall.
For the 2007/2008 season, Nagasu moved up to the senior level nationally, but remained junior internationally. At the 2007-2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Lake Placid, New York, her first Junior Grand Prix competition of her career, she won the gold medal with a 26 point lead over the silver medalist.[5] She won the gold medal in her second event as well, qualifying her for the Junior Grand Prix Final.
At the 2008 Nationals, Nagasu won the short program with a score of 70.23.[6] Nagasu also landed a triple-triple combination (3lutz-3toe) for the first time in competition.[7] She placed third in the free skate but won the title overall with a score of 190.41. She is the first skater to win the junior and senior titles back to back in the ladies division since Joan Tozzer in 1937 and 1938.[8]
At the 2008 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, she won the bronze medal.
[edit] Programs
| Season | Short Program | Long Program | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 | I Got Rhythm by George Gershwin arranged by Fazil Say |
Excerpts from Coppelia by Léo Delibes |
Don't Stop Me Now By Queen A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes by Circle of Stars |
| 2006-07 | Shout and Feel It (Swing Kids soundtrack) by Benny Goodman |
American Quartet by Antonín Dvořák |
A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes by Circle of Stars |
[edit] Competitive highlights
| Event | 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 | 2007-2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Junior Championships | 2nd | 3rd | |
| U.S. Championships | 1st J. | 1st | |
| Junior Grand Prix Final | 1st | ||
| Junior Grand Prix, Croatia | 1st | ||
| Junior Grand Prix, USA | 1st | ||
| Pacific Coast Sectionals | 1st J. | ||
| Southwest Pacific Regionals | 5th N. | 1st J. |
- N = Novice level; J = Junior level
[edit] References
- ^ Dual Nationality: The Japanese Perspective
- ^ (Japanese) SANSPO.COM > スポーツ
- ^ Young star Nagasu has priorities in order | The Japan Times Online
- ^ Nagasu's rise from anonymity an amazing tale | The Japan Times Online
- ^ JGP USA Ladies Final Results
- ^ Nagasu, 14, pulls off stunning skating upset - Figure skating - MSNBC.com
- ^ icenetwork.com: News
- ^ "US figure skating champ Mirai Nagasu tours NYC after clinching title", Associated Press, 2008-02-15. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Mirai Nagasu at the International Skating Union biography page
- Mirai Nagasu at the United States Figure Skating Association
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