Giving her the silver medal here was one of the most sad things in the history of figure skating: she DESERVED the gold, she was just INCREDIBLE, I don't have words to describe her jumps, her spins, her ARTISTRY: who cares if her choreography was not as the other girls'? Who cares if she didn't move like a ballet dancer? She had the speed, the energy, the joy of performing, you could really see that she loved skating and this is the most important thing! Every figure skater should know Midori
@@Carlos-hi1uc Sorry, Harding landed some, but they were way inferior. Lower height and often out of axis with a shaky landing...but of course still much more impressive than all the super-thin-superfast-rotating kids today.
She was THE BEST in women´s competition, ever! Such ease in the jumps, incredible rotation, she was incredible! Which girl was able to show such jumps with such ease? Nobody! If figures hadn´t existed in the past, no skater would have had any chance to beat her, because she was UNBEATABLE, I think she would have won nearly all competitions! Midori was a gift for us and for the ISU. Unbelievable, brilliant, breathtaking ice-skater. No wonder, she had the nickname: Tsunami girl! One word:LEGEND
I don't get why people keep saying that Midori lacked artistry. I heard people rave about her jumping ability before actually watching her performance, so I assumed that she was just a power jumper. I was wrong. She was full of artistry in my opinion. Artistry doesn't have to be flirty sultry like Yuna. Midori is artistic for being original and natural. She also has beautiful footwork, great flow, powerful spin and flexible lyaback.
There is more than one way to be artistic. She was lovely, exciting and had charisma to rival Kwan and Janet Lynn. She was also extremely musical and had a sense of drama. To reduce artistry to pointed toes is having a tiny little mind. When you watched Midori you were riveted with excitement. That is artistry.
My fave Midori free skate. I think she was just such a powerful skater and Scheherazade is such epic music and I know skating is more than jumps but the technical content here is just so impressive like that moment when she lands the triple axel right on the music is just such an iconic moment for me like why do I have such goosebumbs watching this in 2021?
It is absolutely amazing how graceful she pulled off that triple axel. It really requires strenght so I'm astounded she was able to make it look like nothing. And not only that, but the jump was high and far! Amazing!
seeying one of the most greatest 3 axels i love the reaction of the people when she was making the 3-3 because she was so close to the barrier, they should pass this again at tv like this the new skaters(men/woman)could learn something about someone who always have that chemistry with the audience
She is my all time favorite. Even though there are more skaters could skate more smoothly and beautifully, Midori is one of a kind. She is revolutionary. She is a pioneer. She is Midori Ito.
CEK cooking - Midori was a power skater. There is true beauty in her skating. She just doesn't come off "dainty" like a Kristi or a Nancy. Christopher Dean, of Torvill and Dean, was doing the commentary for Australian TV of the ladies long program at the Calgary olympics. I read he said of Midori's electrifying long program when she was downgraded with the artistic marks that her skating was the artistry. Dorothy Hamill the 76 gold medallist and a very artistic skater said when comparing Kristi and Midori at the albertville olympics, "Kristi is musical and graceful, but Ito is something special. When Midori skates, I am on the edge of my seat."
@@lsrasr158 Thank you so much for your informative responses. In fact, I also enjoy Kristi Yamaguchi's Olympic performance a lot. Beside her artistry in skating, Kristi's will and strength was spectacular. However, after 10 20 years, only MIdori would be the one hauntingly remembered........ I agreed with what Christopher Dean had said about Midori. I think her skating itself is already an art in figure skating history.
@@CEKCooking excellent choice of words in describing Midori "hauntingly remembered". Those words aptly describe the last minute of her Albertville olympics LP when she completes the 1st triple axel by a woman in olympic history at 3 minutes and 10 seconds of her LP. I also like your use of the word "revolutionary" in describing Midori. If you watch the 1991 Lalique tourney LP of Midori, Scott Hamilton says during her technical marks presentation "It is hard to compare any skater to Midori, she has revolutionized ladies free skating". If you have not already watched it, the olympic channel honored Midori's triple axel at albertville. if you search "midori impossible" in youtube search you can view it.
I love this girl. Even though the judges were extremely corrupt, I miss the old scoring system. The new system is so boring! Too bad they couldn't clean the old system up. Back to Midori. Even though she was never the greatest artist, she made huge improvements from her fantastic performance at the 88 Olympics. Great music choice and just so adorable and humble and just electrified the audience. DYNAMITE!
Midori’s downfall here was not that she did not move like a ballet dancer…it was compulsory figures. She 1st in both the short program and the free skating…but 10th in figures. The gold went to the person who was 1st in figures but only 5th in short program and 2nd in free skating.
Midori was way ahead of her time. And to think this class including Yamaguchi, Harding and Bonaly completely revolutionizing the sport. Make way for the athletes, lol!
You must check out this same program that she skated earlier at the NHK Trophy - it was literally PERFECTION!!! She received a perfect 6.0 for BOTH technical and artistic presentation - with 1 skater left, to boot! She landed every single one of her planned 7 triples [2 in combination] with absolute sheer perfection. It is sublime and seminal! I don’t believe a skater can skate any more brilliantly! I still give the VERY SLIGHTEST!! edge to her 1989 World LP - and ONLY because I believe the musical presentation was better suited to her fierce athleticism and skating presentation. I feel this music was chosen only in response to the community’s unfair and unwarranted criticism to her “lack” of artistry. But her BRILLIANT 1988 Olympic short and long programs are still to this day [02/29/2016] second only to her 1989 World winning performance, given the respective venues!
I watched the NHK Trophy skate. It was perfection. I did love this skate and music. As far as rating her skates as you did above, i go with 1989 World winning performance, then this performance then Calgary long program. All 3 are shear brilliance. As Toller Cranston said in the Canadian version of this skate, no one is her league. Her triple axel in this skate and the NHK Trophy skate are incredible. But my favorite triple axel of Midori's and I think her greatest and possibly the greatest ever landed was the one at Albertville, given the venue and the fact she did it at 3 minutes and 10 seconds into the Long Program. The Olympic Channel has honored that triple axel as one of its 30 impossible moments from all the Winter Olympic Games held (up to 2018). Number 11. Check it out.
Ito was a once in 50 year skater. She revolutionized the sport. SHE is the greatest skater never to win a gold medal at the Olympics, not Kwan. That triple axel looks like science fiction.
Two Olympic medalists, Scott Hamilton and Toller Cranston both used the same comparison for Midori. Both stated it will be 50 years before we see anyone like her again.
@@DAREALAndyRampage Surely if she didn't fall in the SP and had hit both 3Axls in the LP, she would have won in 1992. And she probably should have at least won the LP in 1988 over Manley. Something I've never seen discussed much is was her 14th place in figures in 1988 OG the correct placement?
What is artistry in sport? Yes, she doesn't look like a ballet dancer and her lines aren't beautiful but she's riveting and you can't look away. She's also charming. That is artistry. Her music is also always quite beautiful and she connects with it well. In my opinion Gracie Gold has this quality as well. Yu Na is a great, but exceedingly boring skater. Kwan BECAME an exceedingly boring skater later in her career. Ito was unconventional but she had it all. Dorothy Hamill agreed.
Yup, she's the one that finally put Japan on the FS map!!! Her influence on that sport was similar to Ichiro crossing over to MLB. Simply one-of-a-kind. There will NEVER be another like her in my lifetime (probably, but I hope I'm wrong-lol). ;-)
And please take note of how Ito, at the end of her performance, takes her time to curtesy PROPERLY. What we are seeing today cheapens the moment. We see a lot of melodramatic pacing around the ice, and the audience has to wait 5 minutes for skaters to finally take their bow - after a mediocre performance, mind you. Brian Boitano didn't take that long to take his bows at the 88 Olympics, and that was, arguably, one of the most technically and artistically complete programs in men's figure skating history!!!! Today, when the ladies take their bow, it's a sort of moving lunge. Please! STOP. STAND STILL and BOW. If you need a template, watch any Michelle Kwan video, or look at Ito. If you do it this way, it adds a regal-ness to your presence on the ice.
I am amazed that the judges still gave her 6.0's for the first skater of the last group. By the way, look at a guy in the audience when Midori does her 3T/3T combo (at 3'52" and 5'38") --- what is going on with him?
