Mirai Nagasu, a two-time Olympian and the first American female to land a triple axel in the Olympics, recently proved that she’s still got it in a TikTok of her performing six consecutive double axels.
Nailed it: Nagasu, 28, can be seen performing six consecutive double axels at the Galleria Ice Skating Center in Dallas in the video she posted on Sunday.
- The Japanese American figure skater wrote in her TikTok post’s caption, “How many jumps can a retired Olympian do?”
- She tried to recreate the six double axels the following day in another video, but it did not end well. “Do you remember the girl who landed six double axles in a row?” the onscreen text of her Instagram post read. “Well today, she ate sh*t.”
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- An axel is a difficult “edge” jump that requires the skater to lift off while skating forward. An axel has 1.5 revolutions, while a double axel has 2.5. The term was named after Axel Paulsen, who invented the jump.
What she’s up to now: Nagasu announced she would take an indefinite break from competing after making history for Team America at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang in February 2018. In an interview that year, Nagasu said she would not likely compete in any future Olympic games, NBC Sports reported.
- “I can definitely tell you that I won’t be around for another Olympics,” the former Olympian said. “After three Olympic cycles, I won’t last another Olympics, but I don’t know about competing [in non-Olympic events] right now. It’s definitely something I have to think deeply on, so I don’t have the answer you’re seeking, but I will always be part of the skating community.”
- In a tweet from January 2019, Nagasu revealed she had undergone a hip surgery to repair the injury she sustained while practicing the triple axel before the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
- She was reportedly diagnosed with hip dysplasia and underwent a procedure called periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) in June 2020, The Telegram reported.
- Nagasu has spent her time coaching young skaters at the NorthStar Ice Sports in Westborough, Massachusetts, ever since her surgery.
Featured Image via @mirainagasu
