All eyes were on Mirai Nagasu on Sunday night in Pyeongchang when she became the first American woman to land a triple axel in the Olympics. A lot of those eyes…
All eyes were on Mirai Nagasu on Sunday night in Pyeongchang when she became the first American woman to land a triple axel in the Olympics.
A lot of those eyes also drifted to a dark strip that read “USA” in big, bold letters on the inside of her right leg — and the theories started flying.
Some viewers believed Nagasu, competing in her second Olympics, was sporting a tattoo visible underneath her short, red dress.
It was soon revealed the design was in fact temporary and aiding Nagasu’s stellar performance. Kinesio Tape, which says it provides pain relief to athletes and has been spotted on Olympians like beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor and NBA players like James Harden, took credit for the look in a tweet posted to its account following her performance.
“Everyone is wondering, but that’s no tattoo on @mirai_nagasu’s leg, that’s #KTTape PRO USA tape!” it read.
Nagasu soon followed with confirmation.
Nagasu, who earned a personal-best score of 137.53 in the competition, helped Team USA to a bronze medal in the women’s free skate competition. Canada took home the gold and the team of Olympic athletes from Russia the silver.
