Mirai Nagasu will represent the United States in the upcoming world championships in Boston, U.S. Figure Skating announced on Wednesday. Nagasu, the 2008 U.S. champion, will replace the injured Polina Edmunds.
Nagasu, who finished fourth at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, was an alternate for the team. She will join Gracie Gold and Ashley Wagner as the U.S. looks to end a 10-year medal drought at the worlds on home ice next week.
The 22-year-old Nagasu will be skating in the worlds for just the second time in her mercurial career. She placed seventh at the worlds during the 2007-08 season.
Edmunds, a 17-year-old from San Jose, California, has a bone bruise that has limited her ability to tap with her right foot and perform lutz and flip jumps. She represented the U.S. at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and came in ninth.
"While the decision to withdraw is disappointing, I don't want to compete at the world championships without performing my hardest technical elements," Edmunds said in a statement from the USFSA. "I go to competition with the goal of representing Team USA to the best of my ability and performing my strongest programs. I will take time to recover and am looking forward to preparing for next season. I wish Team USA and all competitors at worlds the best of luck."
Edmunds placed second at the U.S. nationals in January behind Gold.
Nagasu is a four-time medalist at the nationals. She was controversially left off the U.S. team for Sochi after finishing third at the nationals (also in Boston) a month before the Sochi Games.
Nagasu placed fourth at this season's nationals after her boot tore in the short program.
Last month Nagasu finished second at the Four Continents in Taipei. She was fifth at the NHK Trophy in Nagano in November in her lone Grand Prix assignment this season.
Nagasu did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by The Japan Times.