- published: 03 Apr 2016
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Mirai Aileen Nagasu (Japanese: 長洲 未来) (born April 16, 1993) is an American figure skater. She is the 2008 U.S. national champion, 2010 U.S. silver medalist, 2011 Four Continents bronze medalist, and 2007–2008 Junior Grand Prix Final champion.
In 2008, Nagasu became the youngest woman since Tara Lipinski in 1997 to win the U.S. senior ladies title, and the second youngest in history. She is the first lady since Joan Tozzer in 1937 and 1938 to win the junior and senior national titles in consecutive years.
Nagasu represented the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics at the age of 16 and placed 4th in the ladies event.
Nagasu was born in Montebello, Los Angeles County, California and raised in Arcadia, California. Nagasu's parents own Restaurant Kiyosuzu, a Japanese sushi restaurant in Arcadia. They are immigrants from Japan in the general sense of the word, but are not U.S. citizens. Their daughter has dual citizenship of the United States and Japan and must choose one before her 22nd birthday because Japan does not allow dual citizenship for adults 22 or older. Nagasu speaks a mixture of Japanese and English at home with her parents. Her mother, Ikuko, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the fall of 2009. Mirai (未来) means "future" in Japanese, while her last name is written as 長洲 in kanji.