The Axel is the only forward-facing jump in figure skating and is the most difficult of the six jumps being done today.
It was named for its creator, Axel Paulson, who invented the jump in 1882. For a single Axel, the way Paulson did it, a skater takes off from a forward outside edge and rotates one-and-a-half times in the air before landing on the back outside edge on the opposite foot from which they took off.
A double Axel requires two-and-a-half rotations in the air, and a triple Axel three-and-a-half rotations in the air. The base value of the triple Axel is 8.5 points, while a double Axel is worth significantly less at 3.3 points. Nobody has attempted the quad Axel, which would require four-and-a-half rotations.
The Axel is a required element for ladies skating in both the short program and the free skate; almost everyone does a double. But 2010 Olympian Mirai Nagasu decided to try the triple.
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