A ‘forbidden technique’ of the Winter Olympics for 50 years unfolded on the ice in Milan. U.S. figure skater Ilya Malinin (22) landed a ‘backflip’, which had been a banned element since 1978.

On the 8th at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, Malinin competed in the men’s single short program of the figure skating team event at the MilanCortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics and scored a total of 98 points. He finished second among the 10 entrants, including South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama took first with 108.67 points. However, it was Malinin who drew the biggest roar.

The first skater to land a backflip at a Winter Olympics was the United States’ Terry Kubicka at the 1976 Innsbruck Games. The following year, the International Skating Union (ISU) designated the backflip as a prohibited element, judging the backward somersault in the air to be excessively dangerous. Kubicka long remained the first and only skater to land a backflip at the Olympics.

At the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, France’s Surya Bonaly performed a backflip again, 22 years after Kubicka. But at the time the backflip was a banned element. There was no need to attempt it if she cared about placement. At 25, Bonaly knew Nagano would be her final stage. Frequent injuries had left her unable to keep competing on the ice. She later said, “I wanted to leave my own trademark at the Olympics.” The backflip was also a silent protest toward the skating establishment. Bonaly believed she had been scored unfairly because she was Black.

After Kubicka and Bonaly, Malinin has landed the backflip again. This time, it was not a banned element. In June 2024 the ISU removed the backflip from the list of prohibited elements. The ISU explained, “It is no longer logical to continue banning this element, whose jump movement is highly spectacular.” The decision reflected the reality that, outside the Olympics or World Championships, several skaters had already been performing backflips in ice shows for audience entertainment.

However, the ISU did not award separate technical points for the backflip, nor did it designate it as a required element. It stated only that it could affect program components. In terms of results, that means Malinin had no particular need to attempt a backflip at this event.

Malinin said, “The moment I did the backflip, everyone screamed and went wild. It was really fun,” adding, “I thought the backflip would also greatly help boost the popularity of figure skating.”

Malinin is one of the biggest stars of these Olympics and a strong favorite for the men’s individual title. His main weapon is the highest-difficulty quadruple jump. He has won the World Championships twice and set the men’s free skate world record at last December’s Grand Prix Final.