How Ilya Malinin revolutionized snowboarding with his quadruple Axel

It was Ilya Malinin Born to ski. The son of two Olympic figure skaters – Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skornyakov, who competed for Uzbekistan – he first hit the ice when he was six years old. In the years that followed, he rose to fame in the skating world, dubbing himself “”Quadruple GodHis ability to do multiple things Quad jumps Easily in one program.

This week, Malinin led the U.S. Figure Skating Team to the gold medal in the team event at 2026 Winter Olympics. During that competition, his performance was notable for two reasons. First, he finished his short program with a stunning backflip. Secondly, he didn’t even have to withdraw his signature Quad Axel For a ranked score of 108.16.

The backflip wasn’t just notable because it looked cool as hell on the ice. It was noticeable because it was The first snowboarder to land a legal landing Backflip in the Olympics. The International Ski Federation banned the backflip in the late 1970s, describing it as too dangerous. The ban wasn’t lifted until 2024, and shortly afterwards Malinin made one in the competition.

But he wasn’t the first. Terry Kubica’s backflip at the 1976 Olympics inspired the ban. French skater Surya Bonali had one in 1998 at the Nagano Games. She knew the move would cost her points, but Bonali did it anyway. As she told Root in 2014, “He wanted to leave a brand“.

After Malinen’s performance on Sunday, many observers pointed out that he was being praised for something Bonally, a Black woman, was punished for 28 years ago. In a sport that traditionally lacks diversity, it seemed like a slight. When contacted by The Associated Press after Malinin’s performance, Bonali said she was happy to see the move in an Olympic competition.

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

As for the Quad God’s signature move, the fact that he did not perform a quad Axel in the team event has left many wondering whether he will save it for Friday’s men’s free skating competition, which will be his final performance of the Games.

It seems very likely. Malinin remains the only skater to ever achieve this goal Incredibly difficult jump In competition. Moreover, he is a showman. It would be fitting for him to perform his best trick during his final turn on the ice. The move, which requires the skater to initiate the jump while moving forward, involves four and a half turns in the air. The incredible height and quick turns needed to complete the quadruple axel impress both audiences and judges. Saving this move for the big finale is just a good strategy.

And maybe Malinin will throw a few backflips too.