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Image Source: Getty / China News Service
Figure skaters are no longer allowed to do backflips in competition — Deadspin reports the move was banned in 1976. Nathan Chen, who won men’s individual gold and also set a short-program world record at Beijing 2022, pulled off this illegal trick during an Olympic gala performance that, according to NBC, showcased the 18 Beijing medalists.
Doing an illegal skill in competition now costs athletes a two-point deduction under the International Skating Union (ISU) rules. Since this wasn’t a judged performance, just a fun presentation, Chen could backflip to his heart’s content.
An iconic example of a figure skating backflip is when French skater Surya Bonaly executed one of her own at the 1998 Olympics. (Technically, from a gymnastics perspective, it’s more of a back layout stepout; regardless, it was still banned.)
At the same Beijing Olympic gala as Chen, Canada’s Keegan Messing also did a backflip, and you can see Messing execute one in a laid-out position alongside Chen at the end of this NBC Sports video. What an incredible feat to do the gravity-defying move off of two blades, all while gliding on ice! Watch Chen flip it out below:
Meanwhile, at the #WinterOlympics Figure Skating Gala… @nathanwchen lands a backflip on ice ⤵️pic.twitter.com/LuT0HD4TK0
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 20, 2022
This isn’t the first time Chen has done a backflip while skating in exhibitions. Here’s a look at his flip in the gala portion of 2021 Skate America and one from what US Figure Skating identifies as the 2020 National Championships exhibition.
In a 2019 Instagram, Chen credits skater and choreographer Ashley Clark for teaching him how to do a backflip with skates. Clark posted the below TikTok detailing what that process looked like. Watch Chen learn the skill on the ground and then have assistance attempting the real deal on ice.
@ashleyclark1211 this dude makes it look easy #fyp#xyzbca #iceskating #olmpicgames #gold #winterolympics #beijing2022 #sunvalley #goldmedal
In terms of what’s next for the Quad King, he’ll be skating this spring in the 2022 Stars on Ice tour, which features other members of the US figure skating team. Whether or not fans will witness Chen’s flip on tour remains to be seen, but he said on the Today Show of the skill, “It’s fun to do tricks like that because you can’t do that in competition.”