That's flippin' amazing! Figure skating Grand Prix season begins with backflips no longer banned
The Grand Prix season begins in figure skating this weekend with Skate America in Texas and for the first time in decades skaters will be allowed to do backflips in competition
American figure skater Ilia Malinin has been doing gymnastics off the ice much of his life, one of the many reasons why he can so effortlessly land the dazzling quadruple jumps that made him a world champion at just 19 years old last March.
It is also why Malinin has been able to so seamlessly incorporate the backflip into his program.
Once banned in competition for its inherent danger, the backflip and all other “somersault type jumps” were removed from the restricted list by the International Skating Union after last season. And almost immediately, they began to pop up in lower-level competitions, including the Lombardia Trophy last month, when Malinin landed one on the way to victory.
But what about more important competitions, such as Skate America, which opens the Grand Prix season Friday night in Allen, Texas? Or the world championships in March in Boston, the last one before the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy?
