Mirai Nagasu

“I'm really good at window shopping, or I'll go into a store and just choose one thing.”

“Daisuke Takahashi has really good footwork.”

“I'm that person: I will literally do everything to not get out of bed, so I have alarms set for every 15 minutes.”

“Being 16 is such a great age because I'm still really young, and I'll still have a lot of chances. But the Olympics only come every four years, so you don't want to waste an opportunity.”

“Skating becomes more important to me every year. It's obviously harder as age takes a toll on the body and the brain, and I think because of that, competing becomes much more difficult. That's why those who stick around are always so appreciative of others' skating because we know how much work goes into it.”

“There are always moments when I think about leaving skating, but when I think about that, I'm not very smart, and I'm not very pretty, and there's nothing else that stands out about me besides my skating.”

“Michelle Kwan was an inspiration for everyone, including me.”

“The only thing I can expect from myself is to learn from each competition and improve.”

“I skate six days a week, three sessions a day, and I go to the gym three times a week. I lift weights, do some ab work and whatever my trainer tells me to do. I take Saturdays off.”

“It was hard for me to leave the nest, but my mom is super proud of me. She said, 'You became independent really quickly, and I'm so proud of you,' but she misses me all the same.”

“Maybe Asians are switching from studying to sports.”

“I feel like the worst has happened to me, so what better person to skate to 'Madame Butterfly' than me?”

“I was always getting in trouble for whispering in class.”

“When someone really, truly believes in themselves, magic happens.”

“For the American culture to evolve and include Asians is so amazing.”

“Getting to the Olympics was the hard part.”

“I'm great at dishwashing.”

“I used to skate around the rink with my mom, and we used to race each other until I started getting way better. Then she hung up her skates and resorted to playing my music at the rink.”

“People have drawn me, which is super cool. I'd love to print some out and put them on my wall.”

“I've dreamed about going to the Olympics ever since I was young.”