Whistler British Columbia Canada

Mirai Nagasu is a sixteen year old American Olympic hopeful whose recent career had injuries that blotted her from major press relations and public attention. This talented Californian possesses maximum expressiveness on the ice without qualification for her age, promising an exciting career. Mirai Nagasu has fluid speed, tantalizing jumps, fresh spinning, and newcomer audience appeal.

Mirai Nagasu is a dual citizen of the United States and Japan. Raised in the San Bernardino area of Arcadia, Nagasu is of Japanese American ethnicity and began skating at age five. The Michael Weiss skating scholarship foundation has been part of this skater’s training. Newly coached by Frank Carroll, Nagasu seems destined for a fabulous Olympics debut in Vancouver with longevity for another four years.

Mirai Nagasu is the newest American lady figure skater to win hearts. For those watching the USA national championships in 2010, this was a newer name in skating, when minus Sasha Cohen many Americans were barely able to comprehend Racheal Flatt as the top scoring talent. Yet with Cohen taking most of the Olympics interim off, skaters like Flatt and Nagasu medaled highest.

Figure skating from the United States is meat and potatoes to many Olympics watchers, whose gazes are firmly fixed on every spin, flick of the blades, and spiral twirl. Recent injuries took Nagasu out of ISU events of the last year that featured Rachael Flatt as a high podium placer, yet her junior-to-senior transition is one of many swift accessions to greatness American skaters have recently accomplished at younger and younger ages.

Mirai Nagasu is the 2010 US National silver medalist in ladies’ figure skating and was the 2008 U.S. champion. She is also the 2007 U.S. junior champion, 2007 Junior Grand Prix Final champion and a two-time World Junior medalist. many Nagasu fans point out that Yu-na Kim shows the same type of playfulness and flexibility on the ice, and Kim is considered the gold standard to beat.

The juniors career prepared Nagasu for the tough competition of ladies’ seniors skating. Mirai Nagasu is an Asian looking, elegant, clean lined skater whose slight build belies the grace and elegance but powerful jumps and acrobatic, lyrical spins of much older skater. Mirai’s flexibility and poise are a contentious part of her skating, magnifying the amplitude of every technical detail.

Even experienced figure skating fans were startled by Nagasu’s first place win at Nationals, because the complex points scoring system is still in its infancy in competition. Nagasu’s packed program delivered artistic creativity, flawless skating, and musicality, as well as stacked advanced scoring credentials. Analysts note her early technical combinations and maturity are factors in stacked point caliber. Many skating fans debate that Nagasu should have won the USA 2010 National Championships.

Medal estimation:
Mirai Nagasu is the United States National Figure Skating Champion coming into the Olympic Games 2010 season in Vancouver. Nagasu brings a young career and youth potential to a world stage dominated only by Yu-na Kim. Rachael Flatt might win if her appeal translates to Vancouver audiences, but the trend in international competitions is Asian athleticism in women’s skating ideals. Nagasu could peak right at the Whistler events (like Tara Lipinski) and her execution will only become more crisp with experience.

Dream program: A ballet adaptation from Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella.

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