Their pride and joy! Mirai Nagasu’s parents told Us Weekly that they are looking forward to supporting their daughter at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, next week.
“We are leaving on February 19, and we are so excited,” her mother, Ikuko Nagasu, told Us on Tuesday, February 13.
While her child has been succeeding at the games, Ikuko is nervous that her presence might affect her daughter negatively. “I am a little bit worried if I go over there, will she get more pressure, or not,” she shared with Us.
Ikuko and husband, Kiyoto, own sushi restaurant Kiyosuzu in Arcadia, California, and she told Us that the restaurant will be closed for a week while they head across the globe. She revealed that this will be the second time ever that the couple has closed their business: “We only closed it one other time, for the Olympics in 2010.”
The 24-year-old made history on Monday, February 12, when she became the first U.S. woman — and third overall — to land a triple axel during an Olympic competition. She was competing in the free skating portion in the team event on day three of the Winter Olympics when she landed solidly on one foot after making three-and-a-half rotations in the air. She finished with a 137.53 overall score, which lifted the U.S. team to Olympic bronze.
The figure skater’s parents were unable to watch the historic moment because the eatery was extremely busy that day. Ikuko told Us that she and her husband watched it later that night at home on the DVR. “I just said, ‘Wow,’” she recalled. “So happy, we are just so happy.”
Ikuko expressed her appreciation for the support the family has been receiving while her daughter is competing. “Thank you, everybody, helping us with my daughter, saying good luck to us,” she told Us. “We are so grateful.”
The Olympian spoke to reporters after her performance on Monday. “It’s historical and something no one can take away from me,” she said. “I wanted to make American proud.” The move is one of the most difficult moves in figure skating, and Tonya Harding was the first American woman to land it at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1991.
With reporting by Jennifer Heger.
