US Olympian performs ‘illegal’ move that was banned over 50 years ago

As the 2026 Winter Olympics take centre stage in Milan, figure skating is gliding back into the global spotlight.

It’s not hard to see why: from the graceful spins and breathtaking jumps, it’s hard to take your eyes away from the screen.

But amid all the spectacular jumps and spins, one question keeps popping up: what about nerve-tingling backflips and are they actually allowed?

One athlete who has successfully performed backflips this season is Ilia Malinin, who is tipped for a hugely successful Olympic run this year.

During his free skate in the team competition on Sunday, the 21-year-old American pulled off a backflip (his second so far this year) and somehow managed to land on one leg.

So, back to the question about backflips.

The move has been banned from figure skating for nearly 50 years. This rule came into action after American skater Terry Kubicka became the first athlete to perform one at the 1976 Innsbruck Games.

French figure skater Surya Bonaly then performed a backflip over two decades later at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan, managing to land on one blade.

However, the move was illegal and she had points deducted.

The rule on backflips then flipped in 2024 when the International Skating Union made the move legal, paving way for it to feature at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

With this rule reversal in place, Ilia Malinin - a double defending world figure skating champion - became the first figure skater since 1998 to perform a backflip at the Winter Games, and unlike the backflip in 1998, this time it was a legal move.

You can watch the breathtaking moment here:

The FIRST legal backflip on Olympic ice since 1976 😮

Ilia Malinin that is special 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZJ7RQTjdFx

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 8, 2026

Malinin, who is nicknamed the ‘Quad God’, did the flip to make a splash as part of his Olympic debut in Milan, Italy.

Speaking after his performance, the athlete who is quickly gaining new fans, said of the backflip, as per the New York Post: "It was fun. I mean, come on, the audience just roared and they were just out of control.

"Really that just helped me feel the gratitude of the Olympic stage."

He added: "I try to enjoy every single moment and be grateful for everything, because there are a lot of unexpected things that can happen in life. I'm taking everything to heart."

Malinin went on to score 98.00, placing him second behind Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, who received a score of 108.67.