SEOUL – Four years ago, American figure skater Mirai Nagasu was heartbrokenafter being left off the U.S. team for the Sochi Olympics in favor of awoman who ranked lower than she had at a key qualifying event.

But on Monday, the woman whose Japanese immigrant parents run a sushirestaurant and mother hand-sewed her costumes, made skating history bybecoming the first American woman – and only the third woman overall – toland the fiendishly difficult triple Axel jump at an Olympics.

Skating a stellar routine in the women’s free skate portion of the teamcompetition, Nagasu began with a clean triple Axel and then went on to naileight other triple jumps, including a triple flip and triple Salchowcombination as she helped America claim bronze.

Clearly overjoyed, the 24-year-old Nagasu, who was skating at her secondOlympics, pumped her fists and grinned as she skated off the ice.

“I feel really great,” she said after her performance. “Going into it, Iwas like a train, get on those tracks and get some speed. To nail it theway I did – and even out of the corner of my eye, I could see my team matesstanding in excitement.” – Agencies