Nagasu leads U.S. trio at world junior skating

Anyone who thought Mirai Nagasu’s surprise win at last month’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships was a fluke should forget that notion after seeing her stunning performance Friday.

And Nagasu needed to be as good as she was to beat her two U.S teammates in the short program at the World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Nagasu (65.07), Caroline Zhang (62.60) and Rachel Flatt (60.16) all recorded personal bests with error-free and compelling skating, each landing a triple-triple jump combination.

The three Southern Californians, none of them 5 feet tall, were head and shoulders above the rest of the 56-skater field. The fourth finisher, Yuki Nishino of Japan, was six points behind Flatt.

The free skate final is today.

Nagasu, 14, of Arcadia, Flatt, 15, of Del Mar and Zhang, 14, of Brea had finished 1-2-4 at the senior level at nationals, but all missed the minimum age cutoff for next month’s senior world meet.

The U.S. is trying to become the first country to have consecutive medal sweeps in the women’s event in the 30-year history of the world juniors.

“I skated my best, so I’m really happy,” Nagasu said via telephone from Sofia.

Her coach, Charlene Wong, was pleased for the same reason.

“She is really tired,” Wong said. “It has been a long year, with all the international [Junior Grand Prix] competitions for the first time. But today she went out there and showed everyone what she is made of.

“I was hoping she could skate a personal best again. Every time, she is building confidence and pushing ahead.”

Skating to Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm,” Nagasu breezed across the ice, landing jumps with aplomb and catching the mood of the music with expressive skills beyond her years.

Zhang is trying to become the first young woman to win two titles in the world juniors.

She rebounded from a subpar performance in the senior U.S. championships, where she finished seventh in the short program and fourth overall.

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Philip Hersh covers Olympic sports for The Times and the Chicago Tribune.