After figure skater Mirai Nagasu became the first women’s skater to nail a triple axel in an Olympic event, all anyone could talk about were the strange markings on her upper thigh. Was it a tattoo? A bruise? Some sort of kinesthetic tape?
But before we get to that, let’s recap her performance from Sunday night in the women’s individual portion of the team event in Pyeongchang, S. Korea.
The 24-year-old Nagasu wasn’t just the first American to land a triple axel at the Olympics, she was also only the second American woman to land the jump in an international competition. The first was completed by Tonya Harding — nearly 27 years ago. The only other women to land the jump in an Olympic competition were Midori Ito and Mao Asada, both from Japan. Here’s the amazing feat:
A performance for the record books by Mirai Nagasu, complete with a celebration we'll remember for a long time. #BestOfUS #WinterOlympics https://t.co/NsNuy9F46h pic.twitter.com/ew8YKEYGzc
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2018
Be sure to watch to the end to see Nagasu’s emotional reaction to skating a clean program.
But that wasn’t all skating fans were talking about. Everyone wanted to know whether Nagasu was sporting a bruise, a tattoo, or KT Tape:
What is on Mirai Nagasu’s inner thigh? Bruise? Tape? Tattoo? #Olympics
— JPF (@JoannePistonFan) February 12, 2018
What is on Nagasu’s leg right now? Is it a run in the tights? KT tape? A huge bruise? I need to know! #Olympics2018
— Whitty (@EgWhitty) February 12, 2018
Hey @mirai_nagasu, we’ve gotta know…is it sport tape, a tattoo, or a bruise? #FigureSkating #Olympics
— Laura (@ReallyLaLa1) February 12, 2018
Triple axels are awesome and all but does anybody know what’s on Mirai Nagasu’s inner thigh? I’m guessing tape over a bruise.
— Elisabeth (@septembergrrl) February 12, 2018
Twitter literally blew up with fans asking this question.
You can get a better look at it here:
https://twitter.com/RachelRoseGold1/status/962874862833369088
The consensus seems to be that it’s kinesiology tape, often used by athletes who are nursing muscle injuries.
Did anyone else think Nagasu was sporting an inner thigh bruise during that free skate only to realize it was Team USA kineseo tape? #anothercolormaybe 🤔
— Wendy Mayer (@WendyAMayer) February 12, 2018
Wow, too many people are concerned with the non-tattoo on Mirai Nagasu's leg. It's obviously KT tape.
— .alexandra. (@atankc0) February 12, 2018
KT Tape for sure. Groin or quad injury. But it didn't seem to affect her at all. Brilliant.
— 2020 come through (@kfairwrites) February 12, 2018
@Olympics couldn’t you give @mirai_nagasu some tan color tape for her thigh. Regardless excellent job @mirai_nagasu on your triple axel and entire performance. #GoUSA #2018WinterOlympics
— Nicole Butler (@nicolehbutler) February 12, 2018
This photo from a recent event seemed to settle the matter:
No tattoo. It's tape. Photo from a recent event. pic.twitter.com/iZ7AujY9FI
— West Point Horn (@WestPointHorn) February 12, 2018
It could be some variation of KT Tape:
We’ll update this article and let you know when we get confirmation on whether it’s kinesiology tape — or a new tattoo! (We’re 99. 4 percent sure it’s KT Tape!)
CONFIRMED:
“She’s wearing @KTTape, a kinesiology tape to help provide pain relief and support. We provided #TeamUSA with tape with “USA” on it so you can see it through her tights if you look closely,” KT Tape tweeted.
She's wearing @KTTape, a kinesiology tape to help provide pain relief and support. We provided #TeamUSA with tape with "USA" on it so you can see it through her tights if you look closely. If you're curious about the tape, find it here: https://t.co/hJDBwVMPhY
— KT Tape (@KTTape) February 12, 2018
KT Tape told reached out to PJ Media to let us know that Nagasu was wearing their blue tape, which looked black when covered by the skater’s tights.
It's our #KTTape PRO USA edition (blue tape, covered in tights) that we supply to @TeamUSA. Thrilled to see her do so well on the ice! https://t.co/hJDBwVMPhY
— KT Tape (@KTTape) February 12, 2018
Well, that settles THAT!
Way to go, Mirai — and KT Tape! Go TEAM USA!
Follow me on Twitter: @pbolyard
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