With the developments of Ulrich Salchow, figure skating quickly evolved into a sport incorporating more athletics as opposed to just dance elements.  An accomplished skater himself, Salchow was considered to be the best figure skater of his time, having won the world championships ten times.  During the first Olympics in which figure skating was recognized as an Olympic sport (London, 1908), Salchow was crowned the champion of his event.  Outside of his success on the ice, Salchow has been recognized for his invention of ice skates with slightly serrated blades.  This gave ice skates more traction on the ice, so skaters were able to launch themselves into several rotations once Salchow's improvements to the blade were made. 

Ulrich Salchow

After enabling his fellow skaters to complete jumps on ice, Ulrich Salchow invented a jump widely used today in competition: the salchow.  Female figure skaters performing at the national level often complete a triple salchow, while male figure skaters competing at the national level often complete a quadruple salchow.  As indicated by their respective names, a triple salchow is three rotations while a quadruple salchow is four rotations, and both have a backwards takeoff.