Once penalized for it, Surya Bonaly speaks out as figure skating embraces the backflip: ‘Born too early’

Surya Bonaly successfully landed a backflip on one blade during the 1998 Winter Olympics despite knowing the move was banned.

Surya Bonaly, the groundbreaking French figure skater long associated with the sport’s infamous backflip, is speaking out after the move was successfully landed legally for the first time during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

Over the weekend, American figure skater Ilia Malinin, known as the “Quad God,” landed the backflip twice in competition, and by Monday, the internet was ablaze with fans rallying around Bonaly.

During the 1998 Winter Games, Bonaly, now 52, closed out the final Olympic performance of her career with the daring move, landing cleanly on one blade. At the time, however, backflips were illegal. The maneuver had been banned decades earlier in the 70s after U.S. skater Terry Kubicka performed it and landed on two blades during the Winter Olympics in 1976, with officials citing concerns over difficulty, risk, and safety.

In 1998, Bonaly did it anyway. Many saw the moment as brazen defiance. It marked the end of a decorated career that included three World Championship silver medals, five European titles, and nine French national championships, despite what many supporters saw as persistent underscoring by judges.

“I just wanted to show the judges, who don’t appreciate what I do, just what I can do,” Bonaly told the Vancouver Sun in a past interview, per WBALTV. “I just wanted to do something the crowd would like.”

Because the move was illegal, points were deducted, and she ultimately finished 10th at those Games. Reflecting on the controversy this week, Bonaly told the Associated Press that while she was “born too early,” she’s happy to see the move live on through a new generation.

“I broke the ice for other skaters,” she said. “Now everything is different. People welcome anyone as long as they are good, and that is what life is about.”

Among those who have been publicly defending her legacy since Malinin landed the flips, is actor Wendell Pierce, who argued the Olympic establishment still owes her recognition.

“Surya Bonaly originated the backflip in the Winter Olympics and was penalized for it. She should have won the gold medal,” he wrote in a post on X. “The Olympic Committee owes her an apology and a gold medal.”