Futaba Ito is a Japanese professional rock climber, sport climber and boulderer.
10 Facts About Futaba Ito
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Futaba Ito participates in both bouldering and lead climbing competitions.
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Futaba Ito won the IFSC Climbing Asian Youth Championships in lead and bouldering events in 2016, as well as Bouldering Japan Cup in 2017.
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Futaba Ito participated in combined and speed events at the 2018 Asian Games.
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Futaba Ito started climbing in her third year of elementary school, encouraged by her father who did sport climbing as a hobby.
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Futaba Ito's talent was apparent from early on; on her first day of climbing, she reportedly surprised her father by climbing 15 meters up high without stopping, despite not having had any prior climbing experience.
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Futaba Ito started taking part in public tournaments in 2014, when she came in second place at the 17th Junior Olympic Cup in the under-Youth B age group in lead climbing.
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In January 2017, Futaba Ito won the 12th Sport Climbing Bouldering Japan Cup, where she faced the more experienced Japanese climbers Akiyo Noguchi and Miho Nonaka.
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At 14 years and 9 months, Futaba Ito was youngest person ever to win the Japan Cup, beating Noguchi's 16 years and 3 months at the first Japan Cup in 2005.
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Futaba Ito was the youngest athlete to represent Japan in the 2018 Bouldering World Cup, where she placed 8th.