Midori Ito Completed

MIDORI ITO COMPLETED the first triple axel by a woman in international figure-skating competition in 1989. Her phenomenal athletic feat, however, was not repeated in the 1992 Winter Olympic Games.

During the weeks before the competition, newspapers and magazines hyped the event as the battle between “polish and power.” Athletic skaters such as Ito and America’s Tonya Harding appeared on the verge of dominating the sport and pushing more artistic performers like Kristi Yamaguchi for the gold.

But Yamaguchi led the field after the short program. And in the long program, the native of Fremont, California, skated first in the final group of performers.

While performing a triple toe loop, Yamaguchi’s hand touched the ice. The mistake resulted in a more conservative routine, with the substitution of a double rather than the planned triple salchow.

Backstage with her coach, 20-year-old Yamaguchi watched as Midori fell on her triple axel attempt. Fellow Americans Harding and Nancy Kerrigan also took spills, leaving the Californian as the leader despite her subdued performance. In the final voting, seven of the nine judges awarded Yamaguchi the gold medal.

Ito claimed the silver but felt shamed by her error on the ice. She publicly apologized to her native Japan for not winning first place. Recognizing her courage, humility, and athleticism, her country gave Ito the honor of lighting the Olympic Cauldron at the 1998 Nagano Games.

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POINT In America, athletes seldom apologize—at least publicly. They may say something to a coach or to teammates, but not usually on television or in print.

Although Midori Ito didn’t even do anything sinful, she still felt that apologizing was the right thing to do. And her nation turned her humble, tearful words into joy. They gave her the ultimate athletic honor. They handed her the torch to light the Olympic flame.

God wants us to apologize when we need to—when we’re wrong, when we say something we shouldn’t, when we hurt another person, or when we don’t do our best. The apology frees us to move forward with greater joy.

GOAL! Have you done something to someone that deserves an apology? If so, it’s time to make things right. Apologize to God for the wrongs you’ve done and ask his forgiveness.