Montebello

Olympian Mirai Nagasu Talks Possibility of ‘Dancing With the Stars'

"It's been amazing but I'm also ready to go home and show off my medal," the Bronze-winning Olympic figure skater said.

After making Olympic history as the first U.S. woman to land a triple axel during the figure skating competition, Mirai Nagasu is looking forward to new opportunities, which might include "Dancing With the Stars."

The figure skater who helped win a bronze in the team event mentioned to reporters how she went into her free skate program thinking of it as an audition for "Dancing With the Stars," which has featured other American figure skaters, like Evan Lysacek.

"I thought of today as my 'Dancing with the Stars' audition, that's what [teammate] Adam [Rippon] told me to do," Nagasu said. "So I tried to smile as much as I could even though I popped the triple axel."

But asked later about the comment in an interview with NBC4 Los Angeles, she was more ambiguous about the goal.

"I would love that opportunity and I just want to show America how much I love the U.S. and how I'm so proud to represent," Nagasu said.

Nagasu, who is from Montebello, California, expressed her pride in representing California and the Japanese-American community in the Winter Olympics.

She also credited her fellow Team USA skaters for their group win in earning a bronze medal, after an earlier statement in which she insinuated that she "saved" the team.

"I didn't mean to say that I saved the team, but what I mean to say was I really played a big part," she said. "My words have been a little misconstrued and I didn’t communicate them well, but at the end of the day I’m so proud of taking home a medal."

Nagasu is planning on enjoying Korean dishes through the end of her Pyeongchang trip before she heads back to California.

"It's been amazing but I'm also ready to go home and show off my medal," she said.

When asked about the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the figure skater said her focus right now is reflecting on the current games.

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"You never know, but for now I’m just going to soak in my Pyeongchang experience," Nagasu said.

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