At #Albertville1992, Surya Bonaly made history with a gravity-defying backflip on ice. 😲⛸️ #Olympics #MilanoCortina2026 #WinterOlympics #FigureSkating | Olympics

Surya Bonaly doing a backflip at the 1998 Olympics. Time code 3:29 for the flip. Listen to our newest episode to learn more. | Radiolab

In 1998, Surya Bonaly became the ONLY figure skater in Olympic history to land a backflip on one blade—a move banned since 1976. Already injured and out of medal contention, she had nothing to lose and everything to prove. This wasn’t rebellion for rebellion’s sake. For years, Bonaly dominated with athleticism that terrified judges. She could complete a quad (before women’s quads were “a thing”), jumped higher than most men, and brought gymnastics-level power to the ice. But judges consistently

Surya Bonaly became the first and only figure skater to ever land a backflip on one blade in Olympic competition, a move that was banned and guaranteed to cost her points. She did it anyway, as a statement against a sport that had spent years overlooking her, underscoring her, and telling her she did not belong. | Our Culture

23 years ago, figure skater Surya Bonaly pulled off a spectacular backflip, landing on one skate, in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. But it didn’t count. In fact, Bonaly was penalized because a backflip is an illegal move in competition. Bonaly had been the world silver medalist from 1993-95 but, at the Olympics, she was in 6th place with an achilles injury. Instead of doing her planned triple lutz, Bonaly wowed the crowd with a backflip that became an iconic moment in women’s figure skating hi

Surya Bonaly made history at the 1998 Nagano Olympics by becoming the first and only figure skater to land a backflip on a single blade in Olympic competition. The move had been banned by the International Skating Union since 1976 for safety reasons, but Bonaly performed it knowing she would face penalties. After falling earlier in her routine due to a leg injury from the previous day, she realized a medal was out of reach. Instead of playing it safe, she chose to make a statement that would res