Nancy Armour

USA TODAY Sports

BOSTON – Mirai Nagasu's success four years ago wasn't enough to overcome all of her struggles since then.

Nagasu was left off the women's figure skating team for Sochi on Sunday, leapfrogged by Ashley Wagner despite finishing third at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Through U.S. Figure Skating she released a statement Sunday night: "I'm disappointed in the decision," she said. "Though I may not agree with it, I have to respect the decision the federation made. And I'm grateful to everyone who has supported me and look forward to what comes next in my skating career."

On Sunday night, she skated at the exhibition gala and was greeted by cheers from the crowd.

Earlier Sunday, federation president Pat St. Peter explained the decision.



"This competition is not the only event that U.S. Figure Skating considers in selecting the team," St. Peter said. "It's the results and participation in events over the course of the past year-plus … and (Wagner) has the top credentials of any of our female athletes."

Nagasu was the only one of the top four women who didn't make a major error Saturday, and she said afterward that she hoped her Olympic experience would work in her favor. Just 16 in 2010, she finished fourth in Vancouver and, with her bubbly personality, bright smile and stunning natural talent, appeared poised to be the next big U.S. star.

"The only thing I can brag about now is that I 'm the only person with Olympic experience. So I know how hard it can get," Nagasu said Saturday night.

But there's no room for nostalgia in figure skating. Any benefit of the doubt Nagasu might once have gotten has been erased by a long list of disappointing results.

Oh, there have been flashes of her brilliance. She's won at least one Grand Prix medal in each of the last three seasons. A month after Vancouver, she won the short program at the world championships.

And on Saturday night, she was simply dazzling. Fixing on the crowd with a come-hither glance as she struck her opening pose, Nagasu had the entire arena spellbound during her "James Bond" program.

"You saw glimpses of Mirai that have been missing since 2010," Wagner said.

Nagasu's jumps were as smooth as they were big, getting so much hang time basketball players would be jealous. Her spins were perfectly centered, and even Gumby couldn't have pulled off the intricate positions she did.

But it's her presentation that has always set Nagasu apart. When she's on, she doesn't skate a program so much as embody it. From the ice to the top of her head, everything is connected and it's impossible to tell where one element stops and the next begins.

"I am so happy, I'm really at a loss for words," Nagasu said afterward. "It's how I wanted to skate. It was a really, really great skate. … Hearing the crowd like that. I'm just so happy. I'm a little bit speechless. I didn't know if I would be able to get to this. I'm just at a loss for words."

But a performance like that is also a glaring reminder of the opportunities Nagasu has squandered. That lead she had at the 2010 world championships? She wound up seventh after a free skate so horrible she didn't even crack the top 10.

She hasn't made a world team since, and was seventh at the last two U.S. championships. Her bronze medal at this season's Cup of Russia was preceded by an eighth-place finish at NHK Trophy.

"I'm really proud of Mirai – I know she's struggled the last couple of years – to finish third at this competition," new national champion Gracie Gold said. "We had four, even five, really wonderful women. In the end, Ashley, Polina (Edmunds) and I were picked."