How Ilia Malinin Revolutionized Figure Skating with His Quadruple Axel

Ilia Malinin was calved to skate. The kid of 2 Olympic skaters—Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, who some competed for Uzbekistan—he archetypal deed the crystal astatine six years old. In the years since, he’s skyrocketed to fame successful the skating world, dubbing himself the “Quad God” for his quality to bash aggregate quadruple jumps with easiness successful a azygous program.

This week, Malinin pb the US fig skating squad to golden successful the squad lawsuit astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics. During that competition, his show was notable for 2 reasons. One, helium ended his abbreviated programme with an astounding backflip. Two, helium didn’t adjacent person to propulsion retired his signature quad axel to get a tidy 108.16 score.

The backflip wasn’t conscionable notable due to the fact that it looked chill arsenic hellhole connected the ice. It was notable due to the fact that helium was the first fig skater to legally land a backflip astatine the Olympics. The International Skating Union banned the backflip successful the precocious 1970s, calling it excessively dangerous. The prohibition wasn’t lifted until 2024, and soon thereafter Malinin did 1 successful competition.

But helium wasn’t the first. Terry Kubicka’s backflip astatine the 1976 Olympics inspired the ban. French skater Surya Bonaly landed 1 successful 1998 astatine the Nagano Games. She knew the determination would outgo her points, but Bonaly did it anyway. As she told The Root successful 2014, she “wanted to permission a trademark.”

Following Malinin’s show connected Sunday, respective observers pointed retired that helium was being praised for thing Bonaly, a Black woman, was punished for 28 years ago. In a athletics that has traditionally lacked diversity, it seemed similar a slight. When contacted by the Associated Press pursuing Malinin’s performance, Bonaly said she was blessed to spot the determination successful an Olympic competition.

“I broke crystal for different skaters,” Bonaly said. “Now everything is different. People invited anyone arsenic agelong arsenic they are bully and that is what beingness is about.”

As for the Quad God’s signature move, the information that helium didn’t bash a quadruple axel successful the squad lawsuit has near galore wondering if he’s redeeming it for the men’s escaped skating contention connected Friday, which volition beryllium his last show of the Games.

It seems highly likely. Malinin is inactive the lone skater to ever propulsion of the incredibly hard jump successful competition. Moreover, he’s a showman. It would befit him to execute his champion instrumentality during his past crook connected the ice. The move, which requires the skater to statesman the leap portion moving forward, involves 4 and fractional rotations successful the air. The unthinkable tallness and accelerated spins needed to implicit the quad axel impressment some audiences and judges. Saving that determination for the expansive finale is conscionable bully strategy.

And possibly Malinin volition propulsion successful a mates backflips too.