Ilia Malinin of Team USA has achieved a remarkable feat by executing a move on the ice that had been prohibited since 1998.
Backflips were originally banned in 1976 after American skater Terry Kubicka showcased the daring maneuver at the Innsbruck Games.
Despite the ban, French skater Surya Bonaly executed the move at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan, resulting in a deduction of points from her score.
After nearly five decades, the ban was finally lifted in 2024, allowing skaters to perform this challenging move.
Ilia Malinin, a two-time world figure skating champion, has now become the first skater in the 21st century to successfully perform the backflip, which he did with ease on February 7.
Watch the awe-inspiring moment here:
Malinin, who has earned the nickname ‘Quad God,’ included the backflip in his routine during his Olympic debut in Milan, Italy.
The FIRST legal backflip on Olympic ice since 1976 😮
Ilia Malinin that is special 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZJ7RQTjdFx
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 8, 2026
After his performance, the 21-year-old skater expressed his excitement about the backflip, telling the New York Post: “It was fun. I mean, come on, the audience just roared and they were just out of control.
“Really that just helped me feel the gratitude of the Olympic stage.”
He continued: “I try to enjoy every single moment and be grateful for everything, because there are a lot of unexpected things that can happen in life. I’m taking everything to heart.”
Malinin scored 98.00, securing second place behind Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, who achieved a score of 108.67.
There is speculation that Malinin has been practicing a ‘quint,’ a jump with five rotations that has never been achieved before. He accomplished a record five quads during the 2025 Grand Prix final but has yet to publicly attempt a quint.
Speaking to The Atlantic, Malinin revealed that he started working on the quint two years ago.
He asserts that he has already completed the move, with witnesses, including his parents, having seen him do it.
According to the magazine, Malinin dedicates up to six hours a day to training on the ice, split into morning and afternoon sessions, completing as many as 50 jumps daily.
His rigorous routine involves training six days a week, leading him to comment: “Your whole body dies at the end of the day.”