Mirai Nagasu: Disappointing Free Skate Was 'Audition' for 'Dancing With the Stars'
Mirai Nagasu even named which "Dancing With the Stars" pro she wants as her partner.
Nagasu and her fellow U.S. women's figure skaters did historically bad at the 2018 Winter Olympics, but Nagasu now has her eyes on a different prize -- the DWTS Mirror Ball trophy.
She already spoke out last week about wanting to do the show, and after her 10th place figure skating finish, she told reporters she was just auditioning for DWTS.
"My focus has been a little bit too much about the medals. [...] When I didn't land my triple axel in the short [program], my mom told me, 'Who cares if you get last place? This is the Olympics. Making it is the hard part.'"
According to USA Today, Nagasu added, "I would like to be on 'Dancing With the Stars' because I am a star."
According to the Washington Post, she had said, "I would like to be on 'Dancing with the Stars' because I want to be a star."
However she phrased it, she followed with this:
"I made history here by landing the first triple axel for a U.S. lady at the Olympics so I think that is a big deal. I hope I get more opportunities to let my personality just shine. [...] I smiled in the middle of my program. It is really rare for me but I enjoyed myself and I thought of this as my audition (for DWTS)."
Nagasu also said she "saved the team event," along with Adam Rippon and the Shibutanis. "We were about to lose our medals so today I put my medal in my pocket and said 'Mirai you have done your job already and this is all just icing.'" The 24-year-old also had issues living in Athletes' Village, including having to go to bed at 8 p.m. and wake up at 4 a.m., and always getting stuck with the cold water for showers.
All told -- from her candid personality to her athletic skill -- she definitely sounds like the kind of star DWTS would want on its mini all-athletes season, airing in April.
Last week, Nagasu said in an interview that her ideal DWTS pro partner is Mark Ballas:
. @mirai_nagasu would like to do #dwts ... with @MarkBallashttps://t.co/fVxGodtFRbpic.twitter.com/saC1IGwSz4
— DWTSGossip (@DWTSGossip) February 13, 2018
I dropped my classes so I'm going to be so free. ????????♀️ @DancingABChttps://t.co/SBtMugnQgF
— Mirai Nagasu (@mirai_nagasu) February 13, 2018
Mark Ballas and Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi won DWTS Season 6. He also won Season 8 with Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson. Olympians are always heavily featured on DWTS, and other figure skater competitors include Evan Lysacek and Nancy Kerrigan. Ice dancer Meryl Davis won Season 18, which also featured her ice dancing partner Charlie White.
The spring season of DWTS will be a four-week all-athletes competition premiering Monday, April 30 on ABC. That's a month later than the usual DWTS spring season, and several weeks shorter. If Nagasu is too busy for the spring mini season, she could hold out for the longer fall season.
Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.