Triple axels can turn skaters into legends. This is why.
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In this episode of Vox Almanac, Phil Edwards explores the triple axel and why it’s such a big deal. The figure skating jump is legendary among ice skaters, from Tonya Harding’s 1991 triple axel to modern icon Mirai Nagasu’s attempts in competition. It turns out that the physics of the triple axel makes it a uniquely difficult jump — and one worth learning about.
As a forward-edge jump, the mechanics of a triple axel requires technical acumen from skaters while they still try to maintain an artistically interesting performance. Pioneers like Midori Ito and Tonya Harding had to jump, ramp up rotation speed, and then land all while trying to look good. This effort set them apart from competitors like Nancy Kerrigan, but it wasn’t easy to land a triple axel in competition.
And that difficulty might be why the triple axel endures as the pinnacle of figure skating performance — and why it’s sure to light up the 2018 Winter Olympics as well.
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It’s * Skate Week * on the Vox channel. Our unofficial celebration of all things ice skating. Keep an eye out for more videos coming this week from your favorite creators. (Hint: we definitely have some more Olympian appearances too). – The Vox team
The editing of this piece tries to be clever and intriguing by repeatedly making making the audience think they’ll see the triple axel, but then it cuts away to a Barbie doll. It’s not clever and annoying. It’s just lame. Epic fail.
What if someone did a quadruple axel
Yeah but Tony Hawk did a 900 sooo….
Sorry Vox, this video wasn’t very informative and had lots of distractions. Here is a much better video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7AjF4of300
Street Fighter 2 is still better.
What’s with all the spam on this comment section?
it’s not a big deal for Chazz Michael Michaels…
Midori Ito’s was the most consistent, Tonya Harding’s was the most exciting.
This was riddled with mistakes. In 1991 Harding’s rival was Kristi Yamaguchi not Kerrigan. Second, Kimmie Meisner landed a triple axel at US Nationals, Nagasu was the third US woman to land it in competition. However Mirai was the first American woman to land it at the Olympics.
0:34 what’s the name of the song playing?
You gotta spin like a bayblade
*LET IT RIP*
I know I couldn’t do it .sub me
What about the recent men’s quadruple axel
Reagan’s Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall speech was in 1987
Give me enough roids and ten years of training I’ll do anything you want.
I, tonya brought me here
Dream is to break 100k epic subscribers goal one day which won’t be easy :/
She’s a legend. Nancy couldn’t and wouldn’t have done that in competition.
I do not like the editing of this video
Poor Tanya her prowess obscured for ever by scandal.
“turns physics into poetry” 🙄
Surya Bonaly never had any problems with the triple axel.
Only a passing mention of Midori Ito? Totally lame
If you are reading this just know you are loved because I love you and you mean something to everyone including me❤️
WTF, I waited the whole video for them to show the full jump in slow-mo but they just showed pieces of it.
The Berlin Wall went down in 1989 not 1991 xd
i only know what this is because of yuri on ice i aint gonna lie
Should have got the Slow-Mo Guys in to do a 60,000fps recording of a triple axel.
I use that move to pass dui checkpoints
so I still haven’t found out why it’s a big deal…
Your sister channel SB Nation could’ve used these views…
I love how this video is edited, it seems so different from other VOX videos
Because it’s hard.
Triple axel is basically the 900 by Tony Hawk, right?
It’s really annoying how the actual triple axel was never shown as a single clip.
my beyblades would destroy her
How about robona or hands of god……
I’ll stick to soccer
1:34 Is when you want to start. That means that 30.4% of the video is a waste of everyone’s’ time. This isn’t including the last minute of nonsense.
Still don’t get what a triple axel is. All I know is that Tonya Harding did one. Thanks Vox
Oh baby a triple
http://rbhni.com/FIjQ
Welcoom
A lot of things seem more difficult and impressive when you focus on women athletes attempting it. Why is that the focus and not Quadruples that only men have been able to achieve… while triples for men are relatively old news?
TONYA IS A BADASS
I don’t understand why people make a big deal about the triple axels, I do it all the time.
Reminds me of some other wellknown figureskate video that was recently published…..This is a boring version of that one but still.. at least it’s not about politics again.
MR GORBACHEV HADOUKEN THIS WALL
Try to do it in roller skates… 😉
Mep