Ilia Malinin from Team USA has set a new precedent in figure skating by executing a move that had been outlawed since 1998.
Backflips were originally prohibited in 1976 when American skater Terry Kubicka first performed the daring move at the Innsbruck Games.
Despite this ban, French skater Surya Bonaly attempted the backflip during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan, resulting in a deduction of points from her score.
In 2024, the longstanding ban on this risky yet awe-inspiring maneuver was finally lifted after nearly five decades.
Ilia Malinin, the reigning double world figure skating champion, became the first to successfully execute the move in the 21st century, seamlessly performing it on February 7.
Watch the remarkable moment unfold here:
Malinin, affectionately known as the ‘Quad God,’ included the backflip in his Olympic debut in Milan, Italy, to make a memorable impact.
The FIRST legal backflip on Olympic ice since 1976 😮
Ilia Malinin that is special 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZJ7RQTjdFx
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 8, 2026
Following his performance, the 21-year-old emerging sports talent shared his thoughts about the backflip with 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 achieved a score of 98.00, earning him a second-place finish behind Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, who scored 108.67.
There are rumors circulating that Malinin is working on a ‘quint,’ which involves a never-before-seen five-time rotation on a jump. He has previously landed a record five quads in the 2025 Grand Prix final but has yet to officially unveil a quint.
In conversation with The Atlantic, the young skater mentioned that he began practicing the move two years ago.
Malinin asserts that he has already accomplished this extraordinary feat and that it has been witnessed by others.
When questioned about who has seen it, Malinin simply stated, ‘my parents’.
The magazine reports that the Olympic skater dedicates up to six hours each day to training on the ice, divided into morning and afternoon sessions, and performs approximately 50 jumps daily.
He commits to this rigorous training schedule six days a week. Malinin commented on his demanding routine: “Your whole body dies at the end of the day.”