The 21-year-old figure skater nicknamed “quad god” is sparking real Olympic discussion. Ilia Malinin won gold this weekend with a performance ending in an on-ice backflip. It’s the first ever done legally—but not the first ever done. While he’s receiving praise, many are learning that a Black woman named Surya Bonaly landed the move (now named the “Bonaly flip”) on one skate in 1998, when it was illegal in the Games and lost her points. On TikToks detailing Malinin’s performance, tons of comments are demanding more attention, or even a retroactive medal, for Bonaly. While Malinin certainly has lots of celebration across socials, Gen Z fans look at moments like these to call out the history behind athletes and the progress still to be made. (AP News, NBC LA)
👀 Read more from YPulse: What Gen Z Wants to See at the Winter Olympics, In 3 Stats
