Twenty years later, figure skating’s most famous back flip remains amazing (and illegal)

Figure skating involves spins, jumps, twizzles and a whole host of other complicated elements. Sometimes they’re even historic: Early in the PyeongChang Games, Mirai Nagasu become the first American woman — and only the third woman ever — to land a triple axel at the Olympics. One showstopper you won’t see at the Olympics, however, is a back flip. The move was banned in 1976, and doing one in competition would certainly tank a skater’s score, and perhaps lead to disqualification. Which makes what French figure skater Surya Bonaly did 20 years ago all the more remarkable. Born in Nice, France, Bonaly, who is black, was adopted by white parents and grew up in a world where she felt she had to try.


Source: Yahoo News