Mirai Nagasu, a 24-year-old Californian ice skater, has just become the first American woman to successfully execute a triple axel jump at the Olympics. She’s only the third woman in the world to land the diabolically tricky jump at an Olympic level, after Japan‘s Midori Ito and Mao Asada.
Of course, the entire world now knows exactly what a triple axel is – and how astonishingly difficult it is to pull off – thanks to a little flick you may have heard of called I, Tonya.
The jump is so hard that only one other American woman has ever been able to do it at an international event: Tonya Harding. Here’s Margot Robbie explaining that the move is so difficult, they couldn’t even get her skating doubles to do it – the producers had to CGI it.
Nagasu’s beautiful jump, and faultless routine, earned her a score of 137.53: a personal best.
.@mirai_nagasu lands a historic triple axel, the first American to do it at Winter Olympics ⛸🥇
Video: @NBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/gSgAjvoNaI
— Hypebae (@hypebae) February 12, 2018
Unsurprisingly, her successful execution of the triple axel combined with the fact that we all totally actually know what the hell that is has sent the world into a frenzy, with people including Olympic figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi rushing to Twitter to send their congratulations.
Wow @mirai_nagasu !!! Congratulations…tears of joy for you again! #1stAmerican3axel #hero 👑
— Kristi Yamaguchi (@kristiyamaguchi) February 12, 2018
Omg @mirai_nagasu 🙌🏼 #PyeongChang2018 3rd woman EVER to land a triple axel in the #WinterOlympics ❤️👍🏼🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/0xjj67F4jZ
— Meryl Davis (@Meryl_Davis) February 12, 2018
WHERE WERE YOU WHEN MIRAI NAGASU INVENTED FIGURE SKATING
— kate (@mirainagasus) February 12, 2018
Watching that skate by @mirai_nagasu pic.twitter.com/5QnFQxnnou
— Rachael Durant (@rachaeldurant) February 12, 2018
That was a sloppy cry kind of skate! I’m standing in my living room! @mirai_nagasu What a TRIUMPH ❤️ #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/mUqNFLHFyA
— Meryl Davis (@Meryl_Davis) February 12, 2018
Now that’s a reaction. Mirai Nagasu really was terrific. Rose to the occasion. 137.53 points. Just what she needed to do for the Americans. pic.twitter.com/B4kFdpyeXA
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) February 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/ira/status/962877039375077377
Mirai Nagasu is landing historic triple axels and I’m over here trying to keep my balance while tying my shoe.
— Alika Hope (@AlikaHope) February 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/notgneissatall/status/962874958022979584
Watching Team Canada erupt into applause when American skater Mirai Nagasu became only the third woman to land a triple axel at the #Olympics almost made me tear up. pic.twitter.com/VKBg7Tnmkh
— Derek Lewis (@dereklew) February 12, 2018
I’m NOT crying at the figure skating again! I’m not!!!
If you’re keen to see exactly how hard (and how wild) Nagasu worked to get to a triple axel-executing Olympic genius, check out this little vid from The Players’ Tribune:
We just witnessed a historic triple axel from @mirai_nagasu.
This is how she trains for it. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/1RRECGYaBW
— The Players’ Tribune (@PlayersTribune) February 12, 2018
Congratulations, Mirai. What a fucken legend.
