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The silver medal for Nagasu brings her career full circle. It was the highest finish at Nationals for the 24-year-old since her 2010 silver that led to a fourth-place finish at the Vancouver Olympics. The 2008 U.S. champion was fourth in three of the last four years at the event. Although points were deducted on her trademark triple Axel (two-footed) at the beginning of her "Miss Saigon" program, Nagasu left the ice in tears of joy, as she amassed 213.84 total points.
"I am super happy with how things have gone," Nagasu said. "Even with mistakes, I scored the highest I have scored in the U.S. Championships, and I am so proud of myself. This is about my journey. I am enjoying that performance and what training that went into it. I went into this performance not expecting to be perfect. I was capable of doing this performance last year. Long programs are not easy, they are a test of our mental strength."
Nagasu was a fan-favorite this season, and she acknowledges she doesn't need to be reminded of being left off the 2014 Olympic team, despite winning the U.S. bronze medal. Still, that is a fact that follows her around. She lamented on the difficulties of her success at a young age.
"As a skater, I started out really strong," Nagasu said, "and as I grew in the public eye, I feel like I have had rough seasons. I feel like I have always been one of the hardest working women in the rink. During the last Olympic cycle, I was so hard on myself, and I didn't want to put that responsibility on myself again this year. I didn't want to get on myself about a decision that was out of my hands."
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"I am super happy with how things have gone," Nagasu said. "Even with mistakes, I scored the highest I have scored in the U.S. Championships, and I am so proud of myself. This is about my journey. I am enjoying that performance and what training that went into it. I went into this performance not expecting to be perfect. I was capable of doing this performance last year. Long programs are not easy, they are a test of our mental strength."
Nagasu was a fan-favorite this season, and she acknowledges she doesn't need to be reminded of being left off the 2014 Olympic team, despite winning the U.S. bronze medal. Still, that is a fact that follows her around. She lamented on the difficulties of her success at a young age.
"As a skater, I started out really strong," Nagasu said, "and as I grew in the public eye, I feel like I have had rough seasons. I feel like I have always been one of the hardest working women in the rink. During the last Olympic cycle, I was so hard on myself, and I didn't want to put that responsibility on myself again this year. I didn't want to get on myself about a decision that was out of my hands."
More...
