U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin, a 21-year-old from Virginia, made history on Sunday night with a gold medal-clinching free skate that included a backflip called “the Bonaly flip.” This move, named after French skater Surya Bonaly, who first performed it at the 1998 Nagano Games when it was still prohibited, was executed by Malinin legally at the Olympics, despite not earning technical points.
Malinin is renowned for being the first skater to land a quadruple axel in competition in 2022 at the age of 17. This jump, with a forward takeoff and four and a half rotations in the air, is considered one of the most challenging in figure skating. His proficiency in landing quad jumps has earned him the nickname “Quad God,” which he proudly incorporates into his social media handles.
Sportswriter Pj Kwong praised Malinin’s talent and natural jumping ability, attributing his success to both his innate skills and the inspiration drawn from previous jumpers who paved the way for him. Canadian figure skater Kurt Browning, who famously landed a quad jump in 1988, acknowledged the difficulty of executing forward takeoffs in jumps and highlighted Malinin’s unique ability to excel in this area.
Malinin’s exceptional skills can also be attributed to his parents and coaches, former Olympic skaters Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, both of whom competed for Uzbekistan. Despite his remarkable achievements, Malinin remains grounded, emphasizing his humanity and desire for others to relate to him.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Malinin expressed his desire for people to see skaters as human beings, despite their extraordinary feats on the ice.