A US figure skater stunned the Winter Olympics crowd with an incredible backwards somersault during Team USA’s gold medal-winning free skate.
Ilia Malinin, 21, delivered a crucial performance in Milan on Sunday night, packing his routine with trademark quadruple jumps before punctuating it with a dramatic backflip, and landing on just one skate.
The crowd erupted, but the spectacular move earned him nothing on the scoresheet.
The backflip had long been banned by skating’s governing body over fears of serious head and neck injuries.
The prohibition was lifted in 2024, meaning skaters no longer lose points for attempting it. But, the move still does not count towards a skater’s technical score as it is not a required element.
Malinin, who trained in gymnastics as a youngster, first debuted the move in competition in 2024, the same year the ban was removed.
‘I think I can find a way to make it really cool and kind of scare the audience,’ he said, before first performing the trick.
Sunday’s display was not only jaw dropping but historic, making him the first skater in five decades to legally land a backflip at the Olympics.
A US figure skater stunned the Winter Olympics crowd with an incredible backwards somersault during Team USA’s gold medal-winning free skate
Ilia Malinin, 21, delivered a crucial performance in Milan on Sunday night, packing his with trademark quadruple jumps before punctuating it with a dramatic backflip, and landing on just one skate
The crowd erupted, but the spectacular move earned him nothing on the scoresheet
‘It’s honestly such an incredible roar-feeling in the environment. Once I do that backflip everyone is screaming for joy and they’re just out of control,’ Malinin said.
‘The backflip is something that I’m sure a lot of people know the basics of … so I think just having that really can bring in the non-figure skating crowd as well.’
The move is widely known as the Bonaly flip, named after France’s Surya Bonaly.
Yet as Malinin was showered with praise, some on social media questioned whether her achievement had been eclipsed.
Ari Lu, 49, was among those on TikTok who said the skating world owed Bonaly an apology. Where Malinin is praised for his athleticism, Bonaly was judged, she told The Associated Press in a text message.
‘Something a Black person used to be derided for is now celebrated when done by a white person,’ said Lu, who is Black herself.
She added that critiques of Bonaly at the time appeared related to her appearance rather than her skill.
The first skater to land a backflip at the Olympics was former US champion Terry Kubicka in 1976, although he came down on two skates. The International Skating Union swiftly banned the move as too dangerous.
More than 20 years later, at the 1998 Nagano Games, Bonaly defied the rules and executed a one blade backflip during her final Olympic performance.
The backflip had long been banned by skating’s governing body over fears of serious head and neck injuries. The prohibition was lifted in 2024, meaning skaters no longer lose points for attempting it
The move is widely known as the Bonaly flip, named after France’s Surya Bonaly (pictured)
The crowd cheered and one television commentator exclaimed: ‘I think she’s done that because she wants to, because it’s not allowed. So good on her.’
Bonaly knew she could not score high enough to win but was determined to make her mark.
The illegal move cost her points, yet it cemented her legacy, particularly as a Black athlete in a sport that has long faced criticism over its lack of diversity.
‘I appreciate more and I feel more proud of myself now, today, than years ago for when I did it,’ Bonaly said in 2020.
For decades her backflip was seen only in exhibitions. That changed two years ago when the ISU lifted its ban in a bid to make the sport more exciting for younger fans.
Malinin, already known for his high flying jumps, soon incorporated it into his competitive programmes and on Sunday it featured in a gold medal winning free skate.
Bonaly finished her professional career 10th at the Nagano Games. Speaking from Minnesota on Monday, she said it was great to see someone perform the backflip on Olympic ice because skating needs to be taken to a higher level.
Reflecting on the criticism she faced, Bonaly said she was ‘born too early’ and arrived at a time when audiences were not used to seeing something different.
‘I broke ice for other skaters,’ she said. ‘Now everything is different. People welcome anyone as long as they are good and that is what life is about.’
