We Love Ilia Malinin, But Surya Bonaly Landed a Backflip at the Olympics When It Was Banned

This is the first Olympics in 50 years where the move hasn't been illegal—and Malinin’s backflip has long been known as the “Bonaly flip.”

The ‘Quad God’ made history with his Olympic backflip, but some say the glory was owed to a Black skater

Ilia Malinin, the U.S. figure skater nicknamed the “Quad God,” became the first person to legally land a backflip on one skate in the Olympics — although one trailblazing woman pulled it off when the move was still forbidden.

The Complicated And Controversial History Of Figure Skating’s Backflip

From Terry Kubicka and Surya Bonaly to Ilia Malinin, the banned figure skating backflip is finally back on Olympic ice — and is still stirring controversy.

‘Quad God’ eyes Olympic history after hitting once-banned backflip

American figure skater Ilia Malinin, dubbed the "Quad God," continues to push the boundaries of the sport at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The

Backflip on the podium, breakthrough on the snow, as Ben Ogden hails new generation of US skiers

Ben Ogden hopes his Olympic silver medal — and celebratory backflip — will spark a new era for American cross-country skiing.

Once penalized for it, Surya Bonaly speaks out as figure skating embraces the backflip: ‘Born too early’

Surya Bonaly successfully landed a backflip on one blade during the 1998 Winter Olympics despite knowing the move was banned.

The history of figure skating’s most controversial trick — the backflip

This is the first Olympics to feature backflips in over 25 years.

Team USA skier celebrates silver-medal win with backflip on podium

It was a backflip worthy Olympic moment. Ben Ogden broke the U.S. men’s 50-year cross-country skiing Olympic drought Tuesday by winning silver in the sprint event at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago,