Mirai Nagasu

Personal life

Mirai Aileen Nagasu was born in Montebello, Los Angeles County, California and raised in Arcadia, California. Her parents own Restaurant Kiyosuzu, a Japanese sushi restaurant in Arcadia. They are immigrants from Japan, but are not U.S. citizens. Their daughter has dual citizenship of the United States and Japan and must choose one before her 22nd birthday because Japan does not allow dual citizenship after that date. Nagasu speaks a mixture of Japanese and English at home with her parents. Her mother, Ikuko, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the fall of 2009. Mirai (未来) means "future" in Japanese, while her last name is written as 長洲 in kanji.

Nagasu graduated from Foothills Middle School in the spring of 2007 and entered Arcadia High School in the fall of 2007. In 2009, she began attending an online high school. She graduated from the Capistrano Connections Academy in June 2011 and was accepted into the University of California, Irvine but said the commute was not feasible. Around 2015, she enrolled at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and has taken courses in the business field.

Early career

Nagasu began skating at age five. She admires Kim Yuna, Michelle Kwan and Mao Asada.

In the 2002–03 season, she competed on the juvenile level. She placed fifth at the Southwest Pacific Regional Championships.

In the 2003–04 season, Nagasu moved up to the intermediate level. She placed fourth at the Southwest Pacific Regional Championships. She competed at the 2004 U.S. Junior Championships, the national-level championships for Juvenile and Intermediate skaters. She placed eighth in her qualifying group and did not advance to the short program. In the 2004–05 season, she remained on the intermediate level. She won the Southwest Pacific Regional Championships. At the 2005 U.S. Junior Championships, she placed 11th in her qualifying group and did not advance to the short program.

For the 2005–06 season, Nagasu advanced to the novice level, the lowest level that competes at the U.S. Championships. Skaters qualify for Nationals by placing in the top four at regionals and then going on to place in the top four at Sectionals. At the Southwest Pacific Regional Championships, the first step to qualifying for Nationals, Nagasu placed placed fifth. She did not advance to Sectionals.

Nagasu was coached by Sandy Gollihugh for most of her early career. She changed her coach to Charlene Wong in October 2006. During this period, Wong was her primary coach. Nagasu's secondary coaches included Sashi Kuchiki, Sondra Holmes, Bob Paul, and Jim Yorke, with whom she worked on a once a week basis to refine various details of her skating.

2006–07 season: Silver at Junior Worlds

In the 2006–07 season, Nagasu moved up to the junior level. She won the Southwest Pacific Regional Championships and advanced to win the Pacific Coast Sectional Championships. This win at Sectionals qualified her for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which would be her first time competing at the event and only her second national-level competition.

At the U.S. Nationals, Nagasu won the Junior level short program 0.39 ahead of second-place finisher Caroline Zhang, who came to the event as the reigning Junior Grand Prix Final champion and the heavy favorite. After placing first in the free skate by a margin of 3.19 points over Zhang, Nagasu won the overall title with a combined score of 155.46.

At the Junior Worlds Nagasu skated in the first half of the ladies' short program due to her lack of international skating experience which meant she had no ISU Personal Best on record. Ranked second behind Zhang in both segments of the competition (-1.95 points in the short, -3.46 points in the free), she won the silver medal with a total score 5.41 points less than champion Zhang and 6.69 points greater than bronze medalist Ashley Wagner. Zhang, Nagasu, and Wagner constituted the first ever sweep by the United States of the World Junior ladies' podium.

2007–08 season: Senior national title

For the 2007–08 season, Nagasu moved up to the senior level nationally, but remained junior internationally. At the 2007–08 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Lake Placid, New York, the first Junior Grand Prix competition of her career, Nagasu won both the short and free programs to win the gold medal with a 26.47-point lead over silver medalist Alexe Gilles. Similarly at her second event, the Junior Grand Prix event in Zagreb, Croatia, Nagasu won both the short and free programs to win the event with an 11.08-point lead over silver medalist Jenni Vähämaa. These two wins qualified her for the Junior Grand Prix Final.

In the fall of 2007, after winning her two JGP events, Nagasu took part in the International Counter Match "made for television" event in Japan, competing as part of Team USA against Team Japan. At the 2007–08 Junior Grand Prix Final in Gdańsk, Poland, she won the short program by a margin of 4.72 points over the second-place finisher, Yuki Nishino. In the free skate, Nagasu placed second by 4.81 points behind Rachael Flatt. Nagasu won the title overall by 2.43 points ahead of silver medalist Flatt.

Skating as a senior, Nagasu won the short program at U.S. Nationals, 5.08 points ahead of second-place finisher Ashley Wagner. During the program, Nagasu landed a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination for the first time in competition. She placed third in the free skate, 5.64 points behind Rachael Flatt and 3.23 points behind Wagner, and finished first overall by a margin of 1.68 over silver medalist Flatt. Nagasu became the first skater to win back-to-back U.S. junior and senior ladies' titles since Joan Tozzer in 1937 and 1938. She also became the second-youngest American senior ladies champion in history, after Tara Lipinski.

Although now a senior national champion, Nagasu did not meet the International Skating Union's age criteria to compete at the World Championships. Of the four top finishers at the 2008 U.S. Championships, only Ashley Wagner was old enough to compete at senior Worlds, with the other medalists sent to Junior Worlds in Sofia. In Bulgaria, Nagasu outscored Zhang by 2.47 points in the short program. She placed third in the free skate, 14.21 points behind Flatt and 11.42 points behind Zhang. For the second year in a row, Nagasu was part of an American sweep of the podium, winning the bronze medal 8.95 points behind silver medalist Zhang, and 9.30 behind Flatt, who took the gold.

During the off-season, she toured in Japan. She was a recipient of a Michael Weiss Foundation scholarship, which is for young American figure skaters.

2008–09 season: Senior international debut

For the 2008–09 season, Nagasu moved up to the senior level internationally. She had injured her ankle and had had a significant growth spurt. In her senior Grand Prix debut, Nagasu placed fifth at the 2008 Skate America. At the 2008 NHK Trophy, Nagasu finished in eighth place.

At the U.S. Nationals in January, Nagasu finished fifth overall after a free skate that included two downgraded triple flip jumps.

Nagasu was selected to compete at the 2009 World Junior Championships but decided not to participate due to a foot injury. She worked as a television commentator in Japanese for Fuji TV during the 2009 World Championships, which were held in Los Angeles.

In May 2009, Nagasu changed her coach to Frank Carroll. She also worked with ballet coach Galina Barinova.

2009–10 season

For the 2009–10 season, Nagasu was assigned to the 2009 Cup of China and the 2009 Skate Canada International Grand Prix events. She won the short program at the 2009 Cup of China, but placed sixth in the free skate to finish fifth overall. A few weeks later she competed at the 2009 Skate Canada, where she finished fourth.

In January 2010, Nagasu competed at U.S. Nationals, where she placed first in the short program with a score 70.06 points. She placed third in the free skate, winning the silver medal behind Rachael Flatt. Following the event, she was nominated to represent the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics and was also selected to compete at the World Championships along with Flatt.

During the 2010 Winter Olympics, she placed sixth in the short program. She placed fifth in the free skate and fourth overall, earning new personal bests for the free skate score and combined total. At Worlds, Nagasu led the short program with a personal best score of 70.40 points, positioned ahead of Mao Asada by 2.32 points. Ranked eleventh in the free skate, she finished in seventh place overall.

During the off-season, she toured in the show Stars on Ice.

2010–11 season: Bronze at Four Continents

A stress fracture kept Nagasu out of training for a month during the summer. She returned to practice in September 2010. Nagasu started her 2010–11 Grand Prix season finishing fourth at the 2010 Cup of China. At the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard, she placed second in the short program. In the free skate, Nagasu had trouble on her layback spin. She still earned enough points to win the free skate, scoring 109.07, and won the silver overall, her first senior Grand Prix medal. If she had executed the spin correctly, she would have won the gold.

At U.S. Nationals, Nagasu was in first place after the short program with a small lead. In the long program, she received zero points for a botched flying sit spin and finished third overall to win the bronze medal. Nagasu was assigned to the 2011 Four Continents, where she won the bronze medal with an overall score of 189.46. She was the first alternate to the 2011 World Championships but did not compete despite Rachael Flatt being injured.

Looking back on the season, Nagasu said, "Getting my body back into shape [after the injury] was tough. I really did not get back into shape until Four Continents, where I did the best I could." Focus had also been an issue; "She was thinking of some things that didn't go so well before or something that was coming up -- all kinds of different thoughts instead of getting out there and doing each thing that was coming along and just doing the program", according to Carroll.

2011–12 season

Nagasu began the 2011–12 season at the Nebelhorn Trophy, where she won her first senior international title. At her 2011–12 Grand Prix assignments, Nagasu came in fifth at the 2011 Skate Canada International and won the silver medal at the 2011 Cup of China.

Nagasu finished seventh at the 2012 U.S. National Championships. At the time, she was coached several days a week by Frank Carroll in Cathedral City, California (near Palm Springs), and also worked with Rafael Arutyunyan in Lake Arrowhead, with Galina Barinova in Artesia, and on her own in Pasadena.

In April 2012, Nagasu ended her collaboration with Carroll because of the distance to the training location. Carroll said: "The two-hour drive each way was too much. She was exhausted by the time she got here." She decided to be coached by Wendy Olson and Amy Evidente at the Pickwick Ice rink in Burbank, California, which was a short drive from her home.

2012–13 season

In the 2012–13 season, Nagasu won the bronze medal at the 2012 Finlandia Trophy. At the 2012 Cup of China, she placed third in the short program after she under-rotated her triple-triple combination. In the free skate, she had several under-rotated jumps and placed fourth in that segment, finishing fourth overall. Nagasu had the opportunity to compete at the 2012 NHK Trophy after Alissa Czisny withdrew. She won the bronze medal at the event.

Nagasu had the flu before the U.S. Nationals. She finished seventh overall after under-rotating multiple jumps in her long program.

Nagasu was listed as the alternate to the 2013 ISU World Team Trophy.

2013–14 season

Nagasu began the 2013–14 season at the 2013 Finlandia Trophy, finishing fourth. She was eighth at her first Grand Prix event, the 2013 NHK Trophy. At the 2013 Rostelecom Cup, she placed fourth in the short program, third in the free skate, and won the bronze medal.

After the Rostelecom Cup, Nagasu parted ways with her coaches Wendy Olson and Amy Evidente and started training in Okayama, Japan where Takashi Mura became her coach.

Nagasu won the bronze medal at the 2014 U.S. Championships behind gold medalist Gracie Gold and silver medalist Polina Edmunds. Although the United States was able to send a three-woman team to the ladies' singles figure skating event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, U.S. Figure Skating awarded the third position on the team to Wagner despite her fourth-place finish behind Nagasu, due to Wagner's stronger international competitive record. It was reported in the January 12, 2014 televised broadcast of the championship that Nagasu would file a protest of the association's decision. However, the New York Times later reported that, after inquiring about the appeal process, Nagasu accepted the decision of U.S. Figure Skating, although she disagreed with it. Nagasu was assigned to the Four Continents Championships, placing tenth.

In March 2014, Nagasu moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado to train after feeling the need for a "change in scenery" and chose Tom Zakrajsek as her coach a month later.

2014–15 season

Nagasu was assigned to the 2014 Skate America and 2014 Rostelecom Cup for the Grand Prix series. She started off her season by finishing sixth at U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. At Skate America, Nagasu finished sixth. At Rostelecom Cup, she finished fourth.

At the 2015 U.S. Championships, Nagasu skated a solid short program and was in fourth place going into the long program. However, she placed 12th in the free skate after crashing into the boards and injuring her knee. She received several downgrades for under rotations on her jumps. Nagasu finished 10th overall.

In the spring of 2015, Nagasu briefly worked with Alexei Mishin on her jumps when he and his students went to temporarily train at the Broadmoor Skating Club, the rink Nagasu trains at, in Colorado Springs, Colorado for a week due to the lack of ice time they were getting in Saint Petersburg.

2015–16 season: Silver at Four Continents

For the 2015–16 Grand Prix series, Nagasu was assigned to compete at 2015 NHK Trophy. She opened her season by finishing fifth at 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy. She then won the 2015 Ice Challenge. In late November, Nagasu finished fifth at the 2015 NHK Trophy.

Nagasu suffered from an equipment malfunction at the 2016 U.S. Championships; her right boot (her landing foot) ripped during the short program and remained loose through the rest of the program. Nagasu was nonetheless able to complete her skate, and the boot was repaired in time for the free skate. She ultimately finished fourth, winning the pewter medal, and was assigned to compete at the 2016 Four Continents Championships.

At the 2016 Four Continents Championships in Taipei, Nagasu placed third in the short program and second in the free skate. Her combined score of 193.86 at the competition earned her a new personal best, and won her the silver medal behind Satoko Miyahara. In March, she was called up to replace the injured Polina Edmunds at the 2016 World Championships in Boston, where she finished 10th.

2016–17 season

For the 2016-17 skating season, Mirai Nagasu was assigned to 2016 Skate Canada International and 2016 NHK Trophy. Before her GP events, she won two Challenger Series medals. Bronze at the 2016 Lombardia Trophy and gold at the 2016 Autumn Classic, where she scored a new personal best short program, with a score of 73.40. She was also assigned to 2017 Four Continents. She was fifth after the short with a score of 62.91, after she under-rotated her triple loop. However, she fought back and was 2nd in the free with a score of 132.04, a personal best, and finally finished 3rd with a total score of 194.95, another personal best.

Skating technique and style

Nagasu is considered a strong spinner, and has received a straight +3.00 grade of execution for her layback spin. She often performs the Biellmann spin with a variation in which her hands are on the boot of her skate instead of the blade.

Nagasu has worked on improving her jumps to avoid underrotations, and has also worked on a triple Axel in the hope of adding it to her short program.

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Detailed results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. Pewter medals for fourth-place finishes awarded only at U.S. national and regional events.

2005–06 to 2007–08