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‘I Want to Be a Star.’ Mirai Nagasu Is Already Campaigning for Her Spin on Dancing With the Stars

2 minute read

Not even a fall can get Mirai Nagasu down.

After finishing 10th overall in the women’s individual figure skating final at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, some skaters might be a bit downcast about their dashed dreams of medal glory. But not Nagasu, who flubbed an opening jump during the performance of her long program on Thursday night. The U.S. skater has already set her sights on the next big goal: competing on Dancing with the Stars.

“I smiled in the middle of my program, which is really rare for me,” she told reporters after her skate. “So I enjoyed myself, and I thought of this as my audition for Dancing with the Stars.” She continued: “I would like to be on Dancing with the Stars because I want to be a star.”

Nagasu is already a star: she landed a historic triple axel in the group event and is taking home a bronze medal for that win, along with her American teammates including Adam Rippon and Maia and Alex Shibutani. But looks like the California native is coming back to the U.S. with further fame in her sights, and after eight years of Olympic-level skating — she competed in Vancouver in 2010 as well — this time she’s looking to take it off the ice and onto the dance floor.

 

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Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com