Olympian Scott Hamilton Weighs In on Ashley Wagner/Mirai Nagasu Olympic Team Selection

The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Figure Skating Team share a giant hug out on the ice during Smucker’s Skating Spectacular following the 2014 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships held at TD Garden on Sunday night (January 12) in Boston, Mass.

The full team includes: Gracie Gold, Polina Edmunds, Ashley Wagner, Jeremy Abbott, Jason Brown, pairs Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, Felicia Zhang and Nathan Batholomay, and ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani.

Olympian Scott Hamilton, who won gold at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, spoke with The Today Show about the Ashley and Mirai Nagasu controversy. Despite placing third at the US Nationals this weekend, Mirai was not chosen to represent the USA at the Sochi Olympics.

“The national championships aren’t the Olympic trials,” Scott shared. “The selection process for the Olympic Games goes on for a couple of years before the Olympic Games, so the nationals are a part of that process, but it’s not the process. So when you look at Ashley Wagner and what she’s done over the last two years, winning nationals twice, placing high enough in the world championships to allow three participants to go, she’s already earned her spot on the Olympic team.”

He added, “I like to see somebody earn their spot on the team, but Ashley kind of did that. Mirai, I adore. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, was to give her our traditional ice cream last night with her eyes full of tears. She’s devastated, and my heart bleeds for her. I’m so sad for her, but the reason we have three women going to the Olympics is because of Ashley Wagner.”