Happy Birthday to figure skater Midori Ito (video)

August 13, 9:18 AMNY Classical Music ExaminerTina Molly Lang

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 photo by Bernd Settnik CC Attribution Share

Figure skater Midori Ito celebrates her 40th birthday today. She was born August 13, 1969 in Nagoya, Japan.

Midori Ito is the 1989 World Champion, the first Asian competitor to win a world figure skating championship. Midori Ito is also the 1992 Olympic Silver medalist. She skated professionally after retirement (though made a brief comeback in 1995) and now provides figure skating commentary for Japanese television.

Midori Ito's technical abilities were unmatched. Among other records in figure skating, she was also the first woman to land a triple axel in competition and the first woman to land a triple-triple jump combination in competition. In her day, she could have easily competed in the men's field.

In her 1989 worlds long program, she received five 6.0s for technical merit for a program which included a triple axel and a triple toe-loop/triple toe-loop combination.

In 1989, skated to the music of Canadian composer Frank Mills's A Classical Rock and Piano Concerto No. 1. Frank Mills is began his career as a pianist for The Bells before leaving in 1972 to pursue a solo career.His most famous work is Music Box Dancer.

Like technical skaters such as Elvis Stojko and Irina Slutskaya, Midori Ito's artistry was underrated because she was better known for her jumping abilities. Still, her long program showed great expression which conveyed joy of being on the ice. The great speed and height also contributed to the overall flow and power of the performance.

Midori Ito was a trailblazer for Japanese figure skating, opening the door for skaters such as Yuka Sato, Shizuka Arakawa, Fumie Suguri, and Mao Asada.