Mirai Nagasu became the first American female figure skater to land a triple axel at the Olympics, and just the third woman to ever accomplish the feat.
Nagasu, 24, put the jump at the beginning of her 4 1/2 minute routine Monday, landing flawlessly on one foot. She scored a total score of 137.53, a personal best, the Associated Press reported.
"It's historical and something no one can take away from me," Nagasu told the Washington Post. "I wanted to make America proud."
Credit: Dean Mouhtaropoulos
Credit: Dean Mouhtaropoulos
Midori Ito and Mao Asada, both from Japan, are the only other women to land the jump at the Olympics, according to Yahoo News.
Related: 2018 Winter Olympics: Who is Mirai Nagasu?
The triple axel is more challenging than a typical jump because it requires the skater to make three and a half rotations in the air, not just three.
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