When American figure skater Ilia Malinin electrified the crowd with a spectacular backflip during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, figure skating fans cheered a long overdue evolution of the sport. However, for Surya Bonaly, the French skating trailblazer who previously executed the forbidden backflip on Olympic ice decades earlier, the moment stirred a deeply personal mix of pride, reflection, and vindication.
Malinin, widely praised as the sport’s most technically gifted athlete and nicknamed the ‘Quad God,’ successfully executed the move on February 10 during the team event for the third time at the 2026 Games. He performed the move under current rules that now allow backflips without penalty, which is a dramatic shift from the climate that greeted Bonaly in 1998.
Bonaly was the first woman to land a backflip on one blade in Olympic competition at the 1998 Nagano Games. It was a breathtaking feat that came despite it being illegal under the judging code at that time. Judges immediately penalized her and buried her placement, but the crowd responded with astonishment and applause. So, despite the headlines, the American isn’t the first one to do that backflip in the Olympics; he is just the first one to do it legally.
In a recent conversation with CNN’s Victory Blackwell, Bonaly reflected on Malinin’s moment and the broader shift in attitudes toward the trick. She didn’t hold back on how different the culture was when she performed hers nearly 30 years ago.
“People’s mentality and the judges back in 1998 were much more narrow. People didn’t have open mind. Backflip. It’s something that somebody had to put a step on and say, OK, I can do it, especially after a lady who did it years ago,” said Bonaly.
Opening up about being ecstatic and grateful for skating finally stepping forward in the Olympic scene, she added:
“And I’m grateful that skating finally stepping up and going forwards, and everyone’s happy as a fans, what people watching television get to see and say, yeah, that’s pretty cool.”
Making her feelings known about how often her backflip is still discussed, she further added:
“It’s amazing. Look at how many years happened in my last competition, you know, the Olympics, and still people talk about it. Every time I wake up and I see my message, my phone bumps with messages, I’m like, “Wow, I guess people did acknowledge what I did.” It’s funny now it sounds better than when I did it back in the days. It warms my heart.”
The backflip, which was long banned from competition because of safety concerns, was officially reinstated by the International Skating Union in the 2024-2025 season.
Ilia Malinin opened up about feeling the ‘pressure’ at the 2026 Winter Olympics
On Tuesday, February 10, Ilia Malinin competed in the short program in the team event. Here, he executed the backflip and led the US by earning 108.16 and advanced to Friday’s medal round. The second and third positions during the event were secured by Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, respectively.
Following the thrilling performance, Malinin addressed the media, where he admitted feeling the pressure after witnessing the crowd. Opening up about how it took him a while to understand the atmosphere, he said:
“Going out there the first time hitting that Olympic ice and feeling the atmosphere, it was like, I didn’t expect it to be so much. It took me a little while to understand what really happened, but now that I understand it, I took a different approach today,” Ilia Malinin said.
He added:
“Having that attention, all those eyes on you, that pressure shows you who you truly are on the ice. It’s one thing to do everything in practice, but it’s another skill to be able to perform it under pressure. That’s something I really enjoy.”
Up next, Ilia Malinin will be competing in the final competition of his 2026 Games, which is the Men’s Free Skate. It will take place on Friday, February 13.
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