"Too Dangerous": The Once-Forbidden Move... Malinin Flaunts Perfect Back Flip After 50 Years

First performed by a U.S. skater in 1976, then banned
Protest move at the 1998 Nagano Games spurs change
Ban lifted in 2024 amid push for more spectacle

Ilya Malinin (22, United States) performed a back flip, a move that had long been considered taboo in the figure skating world, on the Olympic stage.

On the 7th (local time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, during the men's singles short program of the figure skating team event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, Malinin Ilya of the United States is performing a back flip. Yonhap News

On the 8th (local time), at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, Malinin brought back the back flip in spectacular fashion at the end of his program in the men's singles short program of the figure skating team event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

For nearly half a century, the back flip had been a "banned move" in figure skating. At the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics, Terry Kubicka of the United States was the first to perform this element. The International Skating Union (ISU) officially banned the back flip starting the following year, citing athlete protection, including injury prevention. Skaters who performed a back flip were given a 2-point deduction even if they landed it successfully.

At the 1998 Nagano Games, Surya Bonaly of France defiantly executed a back flip despite accepting the deduction as a form of protest against the judges. Dominant in women's figure skating in the 1990s with her outstanding technical skills, Bonaly argued that "white and Asian skaters monopolize figure skating" and believed she had been disadvantaged in scoring because she was Black. For this reason, at her final Olympics in Nagano, she performed a back flip as if to make a statement and then retired. From that point on, the back flip became "a symbol of resistance."

Ilya Malinin is performing in the men's singles short program of the figure skating team event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Photo by Xinhua-Yonhap, Milan (Italy).

However, as times changed, in 2024 the ISU lifted the ban on the back flip amid a broader shift toward enhancing entertainment value. On this day, Malinin became the first skater in about 50 years to perform this move legally at the Olympics without any deduction. However, there is still no bonus awarded even if the back flip is successful. After the event, Malinin said, "The crowd cheered so loudly it felt uncontrollable," adding, "It was a moment when I felt both the weight and the gratitude of performing on the Olympic stage." Malinin received the loudest applause of the day for his back flip.

Malinin Ilya is performing in the men's singles short program of the figure skating team event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Milan (Italy) = AP Yonhap News Agency

Malinin scored 98.00 points, finishing second behind Yuma Kagiyama of Japan, who earned 108.67 points. USA Today in the United States wrote that "Malinin opened a new page in Olympic history by successfully executing a move that had been regarded as impossible in 21st-century figure skating."