Friday, March 23, 2007

By ED ODEVEN

Staff writer

After Thursday afternoon's original dance competition concluded, Japanese skating legend Midori Ito and American coach Frank Carroll were honored by the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame during an on-ice ceremony at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Both are widely considered two of the most influential individuals in the history of figure skating.

Ito, 37, was the first woman to complete a triple-triple jump combination and triple axel in international competition at the 1989 world championships.

In doing so, she became the first Asian woman to win a figure skating gold medal at the worlds.

She is a 2004 Hall of Fame inductee.

A native of Nagoya, Ito was an eight-time national champion and earned a silver medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics.

"She single-handedly brought ladies skating into the 21st century," the International Skating Union stated in a press release.

Her technical wizardry and elegant brilliance paved the way for future Japanese stars, including Shizuka Arakawa, Mao Asada and Miki Ando.

The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, located in Colorado Springs, Colo., was established in 1976.

Carroll coached a who's who of skating stars in more than four decades in the sport.

He directed Linda Fratianne to a world championship gold medal in 1977 in Tokyo.

Carroll is a 2007 inductee.

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