A 50-Year Olympic Rule Falls as Team USA Skater Brings Back a Banned Move
The Winter Olympics produced a moment few believed would ever return to the rulebook. Inside the Milano Ice Skating Arena, spectators rose to their feet as a Team USA skater executed a move that had been prohibited from Olympic competition for nearly five decades.
It wasn’t just the flawless landing that stunned the crowd—it was the realization that a long-standing barrier in figure skating history had finally been broken.
That defining moment came from American phenom Ilia Malinin, who delivered a perfectly executed backflip during the men’s short program team event.
The bold element earned the 21-year-old a score of 98.00 and immediately became one of the most discussed highlights of the Games.
While backflips were once part of competitive skating, they were deemed too risky and officially banned by the International Skating Union (ISU) in 1977.
The last skater to perform one without penalty was fellow American Terry Kubicka at the 1976 Winter Olympics—until now.
“The reaction from the crowd was unreal,” Malinin said afterward, noting that the Olympic atmosphere pushed him to embrace the moment fully.
He also reflected on the unpredictability of elite competition, saying the experience reminded him to stay grounded and grateful on the sport’s biggest stage.
