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The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics have taken a more exciting turn with the return of the backflip in competitive figure skating.
Banned in 1976 for being very risky and inconsistent, the International Skating Union (ISU) cleared the move in 2024, prompting Ilia Malinin to record his first legal Olympic backflip this year.
In 1998, Surya Bonaly executed a one-footed backflip at the Nagano Olympics as a defiant protest against restrictive judging, which earned her penalties.
On Friday, February 13, the men's figure skating event has reached the most crucial stage, with the world's top skaters gearing up for the free skate that will determine their fate at the Olympics.
After a tense short program, Ilia Malinin currently stands at the top of the leaderboard, with the highest chance to secure the gold medal.
Men's figure skating events explained:
Figure skating is one of the highly anticipated sports in the Winter Olympics, and the men's events tend to bring over-the-top artistic performance, making it one of the most watched sports.
The men's figure skating includes two main segments; the short program and free skate, and the total combined score decides the medal winners.
Short Program
The Men's Short Program is the first part of the competition, with each skater set to perform a routine lasting around 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
Required elements for this part of the sport are: one triple or quadruple jump combination, one solo jump, one flying spin, one step sequence and one combination spin.
While judges score based on technical difficulty, skating skills, execution quality, and performance.
The short program decides the ranking order, with only the top 24 athletes moving to free skate.
At the 2026 Winter Games, Malinin delivered an extraordinary short program, which earned him 108.16 points.
The US star was followed by Yuma Kagiyama (Japan) with a score of 103.07 and Adam Siao Him Fa (France), who was in the top 3 with 102.55 points.
Men's Free Skate
The free skate is longer, as it lasts about 4 minutes and 30 seconds, and skaters can perform multiple quadruple jumps, complex footwork, up to 7 jumping passes, and spin combinations.
Notably, the long format allows athletes to show their stamina, artistic expression, and technical power.
Fans are eagerly waiting to watch the Men's Singles Free Skating, scheduled to kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET on Friday, February 13.
For the US audience, the sports will be available to watch on USA Network, while NBC is showing coverage that features the high-speed final groups.
Peacock is streaming coverage of all skaters, including alternative camera angles and vertical features.
Quadruple Axel in Free Skate?
Beyond his stunning short program, Malinin has drawn global attention for his ambition to land the quadruple axel, the most difficult jump in figure skating.
Seemingly, the USA skater might attempt the move only if he feels completely confident, as he said he will prioritise his health and safety.
Skaters will perform in reverse order of short program placement, meaning Malinin will close the event—adding to the tension.
