Meet the woman who broke the ice for the Quad God's Olympic backflip

French champion Surya Bonaly backflipped on Olympic ice years before Ilia Malinin was even born, and it brought her penalization, not plaudits.

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

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

Who is Surya Bonaly, the Skating Star Who Brought The Backflip to the Ice?

At the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the world applauded Ilia Malinin's backflip. But long before him, Surya Bonaly dared to defy gravity and the rules.

Malinin made history with his Olympic backflip, but some say the glory was owed to a Black skater

MILAN (AP) — 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.

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.

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

Legend Behind Ilia Malinin's Backflip Responds to Gold Medalist Stealing American Hearts at Milan

Ilia Malinin is a showman. Even before his free skate debacle and the controversy that followed, Malinin dazzled everyone with beautiful performances at the team event.