Midori Ito

Midori Ito, born on 13 August 1969, is a retired Japanese figure skater. She won the World title in 1989 and the silver medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics. She was the first woman to land a triple Axel in competition, and at the 1988 Calgary Olympics she became the first woman to land seven triple jumps in an Olympic free skating competition. She is widely recognised as one of the best figure skaters of all time. Ito began skating at age four at a rink in Nagoya and approached Machiko Yamada, who coached her throughout her career, on the same day. She landed her first triple jump at age eight, and at the 1981 World Junior Championships she won the free skating despite weak compulsory figures, earning the nickname the Jumping Flea for her small size and powerful jumps.