Have you ever seen an ice skater do a backflip? It sounds insane and it totally is! The move is extremely dangerous and illegal and has only ever been performed by 4 skaters, one of them a French woman named Surya Bonaly.

She was a controversial skater during the 80s and 90s many believed she SHOULD have been the top skater. But she went against the grain in so many ways.

Favoring athleticism over dainty grace, fiercely hard working and not the feminine ice queen many judges looked for.

In the 1988 Olympics she first performed the backflip on Live network television after failing to finish her routine due to a leg injury.

However, her crowd pleasing move was illegal and the judges refused to make exception for the history making moment.

She never got the full respect she deserved but in the minds of many was the best of her time and certainly was a great influence for later generations in the sport.

Many feel she was not a judge favorite due to her outspoken ways, her race and gender standards within the sport.

She also invented “The Bonaly” and is the only woman to EVER complete this move….

… A backflip, with the splits, landing on one foot!

You’ll always be our Queen of the Ice, WE LOVE YOU!