U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin, a 21-year-old from Virginia, made history by successfully executing a backflip during his gold medal-winning free skate at the Winter Olympics. The backflip, known as “the Bonaly flip,” was first performed by French skater Surya Bonaly in 1998. Malinin is the first skater to perform this move legally at the Olympics, despite it not earning technical points.
Malinin’s claim to fame extends to his mastery of the quadruple axel jump, which he landed in competition at the age of 17 in 2022. This jump, considered one of the most challenging in figure skating due to its forward takeoff and four and a half rotations, has earned Malinin the moniker “Quad God,” proudly displayed on his social media profiles.
Renowned figure skater and coach Kurt Browning praised Malinin’s prowess, attributing his success to natural talent and inspiration from past jumpers. Browning highlighted the difficulty of forward takeoffs in figure skating, emphasizing the unique skill required to land such jumps successfully.
Malinin’s exceptional abilities may be attributed to his upbringing in a family of former Olympic skaters, including his parents Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov. Despite his remarkable achievements, Malinin remains grounded, expressing a desire for fans to see him as a relatable human beyond his extraordinary feats on the ice.