She’s going for the gold! Olympic figure skater Mirai Nagasu is preparing to compete in PyeongChang, South Korea, as a member of the 2018 Winter Olympics team. The 24-year-old athlete sat down exclusively with Us Weekly and revealed 25 things you may not have known about her!
Scroll down to learn more about the Team USA member, and check out the video above to learn more about Nagasu ahead of the Olympics.
1. My parents are Japanese and own a restaurant that serves delicious sushi in Arcadia, California.
2. When I was a little kid, I used to do my homework and sleep at the restaurant until it closed each night.
3. I speak fluent Japanese.
4. I am a first-generation American.
5. I have three fur babies: Lexi, Liberty and Lincoln, all rescued. Taking them to the park is my happy time!
6. Each night I sleep in bed with Lincoln. His cuddles are my stress relief.
7. I think people would be surprised to know how much I fall during training.
8. I love In-N-Out Burger.
9. Michelle Kwan is my role model. My earliest memories of the Olympics are watching her skate.
10. I handle school and training with a lot of coffee! But I really like having the balance of education and athleticism.
11. I am a student at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.
12. I try to look graceful on the ice, but usually I’m full of nerves and sometimes I think I’m going to throw up right before my program starts.
13. My favorite movie is 10 Things I Hate About You. I’ve seen it more times that I can count.
14. My hidden talent is that I can snap my toes.
15. I recently started skiing and can say I am not that good at all winter sports.
16. I support the global children’s charity Right to Play. It’s a great organization.
17. I love to sleep. Love!
18. My favorite TV shows are Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory and Orange Is the New Black.
19. I think my hobby these days is posting pictures of my dogs to Instagram.
20. I am an only child.
21. I am a huge Broadway fan. Wicked and The Lion King are my favorites.
22. My middle name, Aileen, is spelled with an Ai rather than an Ei because Ai means love in Japanese.
23. I love all things Disney. I used to go to Disneyland so much, I had an annual pass.
24. In the summer, I love to roller skate. My dogs pull me around.
25. My name is so unique it’s never spelled right at Starbucks, but I love it.
To learn more about Nagasu, visit teamusa.org. The Olympics are airing on NBC.
