Mirai Nagasu and Chloe Kim are two of the many women competing in the Olympics to accomplish something so difficult that they will forever be remembered: the triple axel in figure skating, and the back-to-back 1080s in the snowboarding halfpipe.
At age five, Mirai Nagasu started her figure skating career and would be later known as the first woman in America to land the triple axel, according to Ice Network. Nagasu started training for the jump at age 20, which she said became very tiring and relentless. Mirai Nagasu is now 24 years old and has won seven other medals competing in different championships. Nagasu won the U.S. a bronze medal.
The triple axel is three and a half revolutions in the air, causing the jump to be very difficult. There have been two other women who have successfully landed the triple axel, according to Ice Network. Two Japanese women, Midori Ito and Mao Asada, securely landed the jump in past years.
Chloe Kim, a professional snowboarder at age 17, won the U.S a gold medal. Kim was participating in the halfpipe snowboarding event on Feb. 12 when she became the first female in Olympic history to land the back-to-back 1080s, according to the U.S Ski and Snowboarding website. Kim has won two other gold medals in 2015-16 competing in the X Games.
The back-to-back 1080s is a rapid spinning manoeuvre that is known to be one of the most difficult tricks to land, according to the U.S Ski and Snowboarding website. Kim scored a 98.25 out of 100, making her first place in her last run.