Midori Ito made her debut at the adult worlds in June 2011.
The 1989 World Figure Skating Champion, who made history by landing the first triple Axel at the Worlds, competed in the ISU Adult Figure Skating Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany.
Ito finished second to Jan Calnan in the Masters Elite II level.
While there were only two competitors in the division, Ito showed joy for her skating not seen in years.
Ito first leaped onto the scene in the early 1980s and quickly smashed records. She made history at the age of 12 as the first woman to do a triple-triple combination at the junior worlds in 1981. As Ito rose to the senior ranks, her trail of dominance continued.
At the 1988 Calgary Olympics, she sailed through her long program and nailed an unprecedented seven triples. She’s credited with the first triple Axel by a woman at international competition in 1989, and the Olympics in 1992.
While Ito’s performance in Oberstdorf didn’t contain a triple Axel, or any triples for that matter, she seemed almost childlike at the age of 41 – shades of Calgary when audiences were drawn to her charm.
While Ito didn’t dominated figure skating as thought after they were eliminated after 1990 – her nemesis – this wasn’t the case. Despite this, Ito never made excuses, but apologies. She was far from a drama queen, gaining more fans by the moment.
Ito never landed on top of the world champion podium after 1989, winning silver in 1990. However, this proves it’s not the colour of the medal a skater wins or the amount of accolades they achieve in order to crown them as a crowd favourite.
It’s the impression they make.
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