Midori Ito (JPN) - 1992 Albertville, Ladies' Original Program

Albertville, FRANCE - 1992 Winter Games, Figure Skating, Ladies' Original Program - Midori Ito of Japan was startled during the morning's practice and could not land the triple Axel. As such, her coach decided to have her go for a triple Lutz in the jump combination instead. But Ito fell on the Lutz and wound up in 4th Place after this skate.

[@smoothALOE]

I think Ito was better artistically than some critics gave her credit for. Clearly the judges could see it. Even without that, Ito had a such a unique style and was a joy to watch.

[@Dylvente]

+smoothALOE I agree. It isn't that she was very graceful and certainly not balletic but this program was well choreographed. Her sit spin was nice and low (unlike Tonya's), her layback spin better than average with faster and more rotations than other skaters, her other spins were fast and well centered. So the judges properly awarded her high presentation marks.

[@robjuddas3650]

I agree, but this performance which was a bit blah AND had a very disruptive fall which should dock atleast a further .1 off the second mark did not deserve 5.8s for presentation. Not at all.

[@richardross4677]

You are right but she was still held up some here. I love to see the scenario when big names or favorites fall in the short, you can tell which they want to hold up and which they don't. Like how Kurt Browning was held up to 4th in the short with a big error in Albertville, while Stojko as 2 time defending Champion was dumped way down after a big error in the short at the 96 worlds.

[@smoothALOE]

@@rolandgreen7484 I don’t deny that at all. If she doesn’t land that triple axel near the end of her program, She doesn’t make the podium.

[@allezmary79]

Completely agree. The choreography highlighted her speed, strength, and strong edging. I always return to the movements after her wonderfully clean double flip. I just watched this performance back to back with her 1991 NHK original program - she really tinkered with that choreography and order of elements after that event, just like with her long program.

[@quiddy]

When I was in 6th grade, I would always replay Midori’s Lutz fall in slow motion and I couldn’t get over the look of terror and disbelief on her face as she fell on the ice...you could read it in her face. I was devastated for months after that. Midori is such a genuine and kind hearted person, there’s not a single ounce of arrogance and cockiness in her, but this also means that she has no way to hide the stress she was feeling from all the expectations.

[@lflagr]

Poor Midori. The spark and enthusiasm (and the smile) from the 88 Olympics...all gone. (even before her fall, she looked miserable)

[@shimmeringfairydust3275]

Midori is a wonderful lady & skater

[@brunoto.7298]

That final spin was absolutely crushing to all skaters

[@ericc3347]

You could tell by the look on Midori's face during the warm up that she was not on her game. Poor lady! A rough performance for her but I was so glad to see her come back and take home the silver.

[@intldawn]

Well said. I think Midori had earned so much respect from her competitors over the years not only for her skating, but also for her genuine spirit and kindness. I think a lot of people could see the immense pressure she was under and how she slowly crumbled as the week went on. A lot of people felt for her. Kristi and Midori were rivals but never enemies.

[@lyann1213]

This spin combo was really good

[@smurfiennes]

Midori’s outfit is gorgeous, the pink skirt underneath is so eye-catching. Her jumps are solid 😍

[@intldawn]

That wasn't the real Midori out there. You could almost see the pressure weighing her down, crushing her normally enthusiastic spirit. Poor girl. I'm glad she recovered in the long program but the idea that she went to press and apologized to her country for falling breaks my heart. No one should feel that obligated to their country. She was already a great champion. She didn't deserve this.

[@oofahman]

I liked Midori. Unassuming, always smiling...she's cute 😊

[@paul-zx5du]

I don’t like the idea of judges using athletes’ practices in determining a score. Judge the performance, not the practice.

[@officeaddict33]

THIS BROKE MY HEART. Shock and sadness.

[@barkingtree88]

In spite of the commentary, I find this program to be very beautiful artistically and I would have had her ahead of Surya Bonaly even with the fall.

[@officeaddict33]

You could see how nervous she was when she took her starting position. Watch past orlds/'88Olympics and she seemed eager to start her programs.

[@jasonirving8812]

I feel so bad for her. Shes a legend

[@hyacinthoides]

wow. 25 years ago to the day.

[@shihlin1]

Her coach / team should have done a better job shielding her from the press. She looks like she's carrying the weight of an entire nation on her shoulders, and she was. Even this music piece, there's nothing calming or soothing about it. Gives me the jitters and I can imagine how it made Midori felt. I wonder if she seriously considered coming back to skate for the 94 Olympics in Lillehammer. The pressure prob would have been just as crazy.

[@Juice_Lover123]

She returned to amateur level competition for the season 1995-1996 season at the behest of the Japanese federation. It was a dismal disaster. The 3A was nearly completely gone. She managed ONE the entire season: at Japanese Nationals. The Lutz and Flip were also unreliable. She appeared underweight and unhappy. She finished a distant 7th at Worlds and even that placement was widely considered a gift (bombed both 3As [short and long]). She managed a Toe Loop and Loop in the long but nothing more. She didn't really belong in the Top 10 at all. It was quite sad.

[@uky1985]

She would have done good without all the media hype. That is what messed her up.

[@gilbertlaylay8210]

No one can jump like Midori Ito.

[@jacquelineblance4861]

Why would the judges have a preconceived opinion about the skaters before competition? Based on what they saw during practices?? WTF. Judging should commence once the competition Starts, never before...

[@dashoverton1963]

The Japanese media was all over Ito. Made the pressure unbearable.

[@Dylvente]

@MTVMANN I agree. Midori had much better spins: for example, her sit spin was much better than Tonya's; so was her layback.

[@robjuddas3650]

I agree on the sit spin. Not the layback, and her combination spin was clearly weaker, so overall I would say the spins were about equal. Her spiral sequence was utterly horrible and clearly worse than Harding's (despite that Tonya's wasnt great either).

[@buffyslays5260]

Midori had better sit spin and step sequence Tonya had better spin combination,actually her spin was way ahead of her time and better spiral than midori but theyre both horrendous in that department.

[@itsallgoodman1244]

Tonya had best layback in the competition, no argument there.

[@quiddy]

TripleLutz1992 no Kristi’s layback was much better than Tonya. There’s no way Tonya could be better than Kristi on the layback, she’s much thicker and less flexible. To achieve the perfect layback spin you need to have the strength and flexibility to keep the free leg high up but parallel to the ground

[@Dylvente]

@@quiddy Tonya did an easier but still attractive, well-centered, and fast sideways-leaning position. Both Kristi and Midori did a true layback spin and did it fairly well. (Though far from the best ever: see Fleming, Hamill, Nikodinov, Hughes, Cohen) I don't think the difference on that element is significant in this competition.

[@hirosoma]

Vanessa Reiley, the British judge(UK).......I'd be interested in her perspective on this Olympic season. As an ISU judge, she must be able to justify her reasoning for what was considered unusually low marks.

[@Dylvente]

+Hiro Soma You would have to go and look at the placements to see how much hers differed from the majority of the other judges. If most of the judges award a winning skater a 5.8 but one judge awards a 5.6 but also places that skater first, then their mark being lower doesn't matter. Riley pointed this out in an interview for another competition at which she deducted for inappropriate attire but still placed the skater first along with the other judges. I think Riley was just a tougher judge and had higher standards. She noticed shortcomings other judges did not but she also noticed strengths that other judges did not, hence her higher marks for Yuka Sato. Sato's skating skills (including speed and quality of footwork) were underappreciated and she should have been easily above Harding after the short program. On the other hand, Surya Bonaly's weaknesses were glaring, the combination being the only element of her program better than Sato's, and Riley (at least, at Worlds that year) correctly penalized Bonaly's lack of skating skills more heavily than other judges. In that case her placement of Bonaly and other skaters was indeed different from the other judges'.

[@USA-qm2bk]

She hates tonya

[@victoriagill3337]

@Hiro Soma Reilly always marked low, she was renowned for it. She even penalised Alexander Fadeev because she thought his white free programme costume in 1989 was transparent

[@PhilAlumb]

Surya Bonaly KNEW what she was doing. It was....Deliberate.

[@MikeJones-qd7gc]

I loved the program❤

[@ravenel2]

Such a powerhouse lineup. I think in a field of 24 or 36 of the best competitors on earth, however many there are, it wouldn’t kill anyone to award three golds, three silvers and three bronzes in Olympic figure skating. The constant nitpicking and disparaging over who was “the best” is pointless at the top and is off putting to me. Part of it is peaking in the right year, and plenty of people would have gold medals if they had faced the Olympic competitors of a different year, had a different skate order, didn’t get injured, whatever. Yeah, that’s life, except that one gold medal once every four years (except for 94) involves a certain amount of dumb luck that many skaters just don’t get.

[@ivanlavouras]

Kristi won because Ito and Harding fell on both programs while kristi made a clean SP

[@CarloChapelle]

Kristi won because she had the-right balance of artistry and athleticism. Plus she hit a Triple Lutz Triple Toe combo n the Free program.

[@travisstrong5389]

@@CarloChapelle Yes and while Ito's long program still had some spectacular jumping and technical moments, like the late triple axel, but very oddly she didn't even do a single triple lutz, vs Kristi having 2, and the triple lutz-triple toe you mentioned. And artistically I think it was one of Ito's weakest programs, she was trying to copy Kristi's style to please the judges and it didn't work well at all. The stress and tension which didn't leave until the late triple axel, just made the overall performance flatter too.

[@carlochapelle9331]

@@travisstrong5389I’ve always thought that if Ito went for the Triple Axel in the short program she would have nailed it because she had better preparation or approach to the Triple Axel than Tonya. And, if Ito missed the Triple Axel in the shorts, she would not be penalized as badly because her starting technical value would have been higher.

[@travisstrong5389]

@@carlochapelle9331 agreed. Considering she only lost 3rd to Bonaly on a 5-4 split in the short as it was, she is probably held up to 3rd with a fall on a triple axel rather than a fall on a triple lutz. Then has the chance to win the gold if she wins the long.

[@MTVMANN]

I find it easy to agree with the judges. I would have put Midori ahead of Tonya too.

[@searanch32]

Does anyone have Tonya and Nancy's CBS short programs that they can upload?

[@louisgrassimedium]

This is just an example of the judges manipulating the scores... Midori, no way in hell, should have placed that high on the artistic side, never mind in comparison to Tonya Harding. They just wanted a head-to-head match-up with Kristi Yamaguchi.

[@SDoesNotKnow]

Scott is so biased.

[@corawaller-jacobs8007]

Question unrelated to Midori Ito. Who skated first that night? Yuka Sato or Nancy Kerrigan? 0:18

[@atf7ip]

Yuka Sato skated first.

[@corawaller-jacobs8007]

Thank you. It just sounds funny because he said Yuka Sato skated first then proceeds to say that Nancy Kerrigan skated first.

[@ronaround74]

@@corawaller-jacobs8007 Verne meant that Nancy was the first of the Americans to skate in the short program.

[@corawaller-jacobs8007]

@@ronaround74 Thank you ...that makes sense.

[@waynek4723]

Shame on Scott Hamilton for his obviously biased and manipulative commentary. He knew very well that Midori rightfully placed above, and that her base mark was higher than Tonya's for the simple fact that Tonya did NOT attempt a combination jump, one of the requirements. The discussion shouldn't be whether Tonya should have placed higher than Midori (that shouldn't even be a question, she shouldn't have), the discussion should be that Tonya didn't even belong in the top 6 for not attempting one of the required elements.

[@hirosoma]

yes, spot on! But I don't think he was trying to be mean......he has always recognized the incredible talents of Midori. He was commentating live, so I think he overlooked the fact that Midori fell, then did the double toe......in which case, I don't know what the mandatory deduction was? Do you? 0.5 deduction for missing the Lutz? or missing the combo? In any case, Midori got up from the sliding fall on the Lutz and did the double toe! Which I might add, is very unusual. I can't actually recall a fall+second jump by anyone else! It must exist somewhere.

[@Dylvente]

Hiro Soma I'm not sure whether or not getting up and doing the double toe counts as completing a combination. Seems to me a combination means landing one jump then going straight into another with no interruption, such as a turn or a fall. If she does get credit for the combination, then her deduction is .4 for the fall, I believe.

[@hirosoma]

+Dylvente but damn, that double axel at the end alone was worth "component" points....but unfortunately, in those days, the original/artistic program was deduction based.

[@Dylvente]

+Hiro Soma Yes, and for the same reason her spins would be marked high today, though she would need more variety of position on the layback. Imagine her grade-of-execution scores on the jumps!

[@robjuddas3650]

I disagree. I think Ito was given a HUGE gift here and I am a big fan of Ito (and far from a fan of Harding. His point about Harding trying the much harder combination is perfectly valid. And doing a double jump after already falling on the main jump is no big deal, the combination has already been broken. For all 9 judges to have Ito over Harding was some really biased judging and for a skater without great artistry to get that many 5.8s for presentation after a very disruptive fall is also wrong. She got the same artistic scores as her long for a much better skater which was a clear sign of trying to hold up. As well as equal or higher artistic scores than Nancy's short which was an infinitely better performance.

[@ぼんてん丸-w4f]

この時代にオリンピック金メダル取れてたら真のレジェンドになったと思う😢せめてフリー単独だけでも一位の演技だったらと😞

[@nicolerose6608]

the commentators seriously get on my nerve. i detect a tad bit of bias. i love tonya and midori equally. but just because tonya *attempted* with a harder combination does not mean that she should’ve placed 3rd and that judges were “generous”. honestly, get a grip.

[@ronaround74]

Totally agree. Scott made it sound like jump were the only thing that factored into the technical base mark... Spins and steps and general basic skating counted too! All of which Midori did as well or better than Tonya here.

[@jacquelineblance4861]

Nancy's OP was best of all. And her spiral was better than Kristi's and Midori

[@crispyorsmthnidk5314]

What is judge #8’s deal?

[@kazzicup]

I am throbbing with excitement when Midori skates. She is so beautiful and sexy ! A twenty two years old Midori is irresistible.

[@ENIGMAPOP]

Why is it always the miserable British judge? Everyone has Midori in 3rd and the Brit has her 6th. Everyone has Tonya in 4th and the Brit has her 8th. lol

[@3Axel1996]

Vanessa Riley was known to judge everything accurately and to the finest detail. She grew to win the respect of a lot of die-hard skating fans because they knew that her scores were not influenced by anything or anyone except from the skating itself.

[@ENIGMAPOP]

@@3Axel1996 Vanessa Riley wasn't the British judge in every competition. I've noticed British judges in general are always tough to please.

[@Mapy1991]

quanti anni aveva nel 1992?

[@ぼんてん丸-w4f]

この時の伊藤みどり、肌もすごい荒れてて顔も疲れきってますね😢とんでもないプレッシャーとの闘いだったと容易に想像できる😮 でも、やはり金メダル取って欲しかった

[@Zuranthium]

Tonya had a very weak flying sit spin, her 2Flip wasn't as good as Ito's, her footwork wasn't as good, she had less speed, and even less finish than Ito. I would have put Tonya 8th in the SP...maybe even 9th behind Lu Chen.

[@lilbatz]

Love me some Tonya, but Ito's spins were so much better. Fast and centered. Scott's always a bit of a homer, so I take his opinion with a grain of salt.

[@itsallgoodman1244]

I loved her double flip, youre wrong about that, her sit spin was weak but thats all.

[@simonsenecal6560]

8th behind who? I am assuming you are thinking Yamaguchi, Kerrigan, Bonaly, Ito, Hubert, Sato, and who else?

[@ItalianSoda5000]

I love Midori and what she's done for the sport, but technically speaking she fell on an easier jump than Tonya. Tonya fell on a triple axel. Like SCOTT SAID SHE SHOULD HAVE HAD A LOWER BASE VALUE. If I were to rank the short program it would have been 1. Nancy Kerrigan 5.8 and 6.0 2. Kristi Yamaguchi 5.8 and 5.9 3. Yuka Sato 5.7 and 5.9 4. Tonya Harding 5.5 and 5.8 5. Anisette Torp-Lind 5.6 and 5.6 6. Surya Bonaly 5.8 and 5.1 7. Laetitia Hubert 5.6 and 5.4 8. Midori Ito 5.2 and 5.5

[@timothyhh]

Ito got up and did the double toe so her deduction was less (.4 or .5) for attempting the combo albeit with a fall. Harding with no combo attempted was hit with the bigger deduction for omitting an element (.5 or .6). Same reason singling a double axel was worse than falling. Single - element omitted. Fall - element attempted but with fall.

[@itsallgoodman1244]

@@timothyhh No when you fall in a combo jump that second should not count at all

[@vistaprime]

This girl couldn't handle pressure could she?