It was a rough day for the US women’s Olympic figure skating team when all three women botched their solo routines for the free skating event.
Mirai Nagasu made history earlier this week when she became the first American woman – and third overall – to successfully land a triple axel in the team event, but the 24-year-old Olympian struggled Friday at the Pyeongchang Games.
After taking the ice and flawlessly performing a few moves, everyone expected Nagasu to launch herself in the air for the triple axel but she instead turned into a single axel. She finished in tenth place.
Mirai Nagasu of the United States performs during the women’s free figure skating final in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Friday, February 23, 2018. She finished in tenth place
The 24-year-old made history when she landed a triple axel during the US women’s team event, but turned the jump into a single during Friday’s event
Still, Nagasu is proud of what she accomplished at the Olympics even saying that she was hoping her performance would impress the producers of ‘Dancing with the Stars’.
‘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),’ she said.
She also praised herself for helping the US women’s team secure a bronze medal in the team event.
‘I saved the team event with Adam and the Shibutanis. We were about to lose our medal,’ she said. ‘Today I put my medal in my pocket — here she is — and I said, ‘’Mirai, you’ve done your job already and this is all just icing,’’ and it has been so emotionally draining.’
She added: ‘But this is what I wanted and I’ve been crying every day since the team event because I was so happy. But then we had to keep training and training and training, and we’re just exhausted. And it’s a lot to go out there and represent our country. ‘
Fellow US skaters Bradie Tennell and Karen Chen also had a rough time on Friday, finishing in ninth and eleventh place, respectively.
Chen, 18, made several technical mistakes during her free skate. Olympic gold medalist and figure skating commentator Tara Lipinski said Chen would be a ‘contender’ if she got her jumps ‘under control’.
‘She really is the best of the US ladies in skating skill,’ Lipinksi said.
Tennell, who fell during a triple-triple on Wednesday, hit the ice again Friday when she misjudged the landing on one her jumps.
Friday’s event was said to be the US’s worst showing in modern Olympic history for women figure skating. Since World War II, at least one American woman finished sixth or higher.
Russia’s Alina Zagitova won gold in the free skating event. Her compatriot Evgenia Medvedeva took silver, with Canada’s Kaetlyn Osmond securing the bronze.
Karen Chen also struggled during Friday’s free skating event falling to the ground during her routine. She finished in eleventh place
Bradie Tennell did the best out of the night finishing in ninth place. She also fell during her free skating routine