US Olympics Women's, Pairs, and Ice Dancing Teams Named; Mirai Gets Robbed
BOSTON - Mirai Nagasu was left off the U.S. women's figure skating team for Sochi despite finishing third and being the only one of the top skaters with Olympic experience.
Nagasu skated cleanly in her long program Saturday night, finishing third with 190.74 points behind U.S. champion Gracie Gold and runner-up Polina Edmunds. Ashley Wagner, a two-time national champion, was fourth with 182.74 points after falling twice in her long program.
Gold, Edmunds and Wagner are on the team for Sochi. Nagasu wasn't immediately available Sunday but she said beforehand she'd respect the decision.
"The only thing I can brag about now is that I 'm the only person with Olympic experience. So I know how hard it can get," Nagasu said after her free skate Saturday night. "I don't know what my federation will do. All I can say is I did what I had to today. … I'll have to respect any choice that they make."
After her skate, Nagasu was emotional.
"I am so happy, I'm really at a loss for words," she said. "It's how I wanted to skate. It was a really, really great skate. The crowd… hearing the crowd like that. I'm just so happy. I'm a little bit speechless. I didn't know if I would be able to get to this. I'm just at a loss for words."
She reminded everyone that of the top four skaters she was the only one who had faced the pressure of competing at a Winter Olympics. In 2010, she finished just off the podium in fourth place.
"I think I did my best and hopefully they pick me to the team because I haven't always been the most consistent skater, but I know that under pressure I am pretty good most of the time. Like at the (last) Olympics I skated last," she said.
After finishing fourth in the Vancouver Olympics, Nagasu's career went south. At 20, she entered nationals as an afterthought, years removed from all that promise and that little girl from ages ago who won gold at the 2008 U.S. championships when just 14. After the Vancouver Olympics, she missed making the worlds teams the past three years.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/sochi/2014/01/12/mirai-nagasu-left-off-olympic-team-sochi/4440391/
2014 U.S. Olympic Team - Ladies Singles Nominations
Polina Edmunds
Gracie Gold
Ashley Wagner
Alternate No. 1 - Mirai Nagasu
Alternate No. 2 - Samantha Cesario
Alternate No. 3 - Courtney Hicks
2014 U.S. Olympic Team - Pairs Nominations
Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir
Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay
Alternate No. 1 - Caydee Denney and John Coughlin
Alternate No. 2 - Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim
Alternate No. 3 - Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier
2014 U.S. Olympic Team - Ice Dance Nominations
Madison Chock and Evan Bates
Meryl Davis and Charlie White
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani
Alternate No. 1 - Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue
Alternate No. 2 - Alexandra Aldridge and Daniel Eaton
Alternate No. 3 - Lynn Kriengkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt
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