While the American male skater is getting attention for performing the 1st legal backflip landing on one skate, let's acknowledge the 1st person to have done this: a Black French girl, Surya Bonaly.

Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

#SuryaBonaly's story at the 1998 #Nagano #WinterOlympics is a marvel

She committed an error and was out of medal contention. So she went "fuck it, if the judges don't appreciate me for my athletic gifts, I am going to win on my own terms" and was the first Olympic woman to do a #backflip in #figureskating *on one blade*

And sure enough, we talk about that today more than anything else from then

"Fuck the haters, I'll win on my terms, I'm going to live my life"

Be like Surya

Wokebloke for Democracy

@CStamp
I remember her performance. It was amazing and the result was quite a shock .

Gabriel Pettier

@benroyce @CStamp I only knew part of the story, very interesting, and even more inspiring.

Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@tshirtman @CStamp

there's more to it

she had a lot of resentment towards the judges. she turned her back to the judges after finishing and bowed to the fans

she complained of ageism (like with gymnastics it's appalling). she got unusually low scores. "After 10 years, I am used to it"

she was injured and considered dropping out. after her error she spontaneously decided to launch into the backflip and land on one foot

she said she did it because it was "easier" (?!)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surya_Bonaly#1997%E2%80%931998_season:_Third_Olympics

Carolyn

@tshirtman @benroyce Women aren’t supposed to be as athletic as men, she was a Black girl in a White sport, so she when she says she broke the ice for those who followed after, it is very true.

Face Thumb

@benroyce @CStamp What a legend!

Rolf

@CStamp
I thought the first one with a backflip was Toller Cranston from Canada, back in the 80's?

Carolyn

@rolf_b_lh I can’t find that he did, though some of the professionals included them in their shows.

Yehuda TurtleIsland.social

@benroyce
OMG tears of joy and admiration

@CStamp

Darcy

@benroyce @CStamp

Sometimes being yourself is simply more important than conforming!

Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@Yehuda @CStamp

It's such a great lesson in life

There are constraints placed on what success means

But you can succeed on your own terms, your own way, by your own standards. And sometimes that can outshine what others have decided success means

Rolf

@CStamp will try to find later. Now I say good night

Jonathan

@CStamp

Bonaly was the only female athlete capable of the skill at that time, and later told reporters that she wanted to “show the judges – who don’t appreciate what I do – just what I can do.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolineprice/2026/02/09/the-complicated-and-controversial-history-of-figure-skatings-backflip/

Linda Rose Smit

@Mor696 @benroyce @CStamp most times

Rolf

@CStamp It was Terry Kubicka at the 1976 Olympics, my memory was wrong.
It was then counted a double (jump? what is a Lutz or Flip or Toeloop called in english?), if my memory is right this time and was forbidden very soon after.

Carolyn

@rolf_b_lh He landed on two skates. She was the first to land on one skate. They said a two foot landing didn’t count as a real jump, it had to be possible to land on one foot.

Rolf

@CStamp Ah, right you are!
I saw his backflip back then, and I wasn't sure if I liked it - looked like an experiment to me.
But now I have seen hers, too (on youtube), and that one was better by far.