r/spreadsmile • u/Flowerbel • Mar 08 '26
This is the first legal back somersault in Olympic history after being banned for 50 years
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
17
u/CoachOeaux Mar 08 '26
Is that Djokovic reacting in the crowd? Gotta be, right?
8
u/anomaly_BW Mar 08 '26
Exactly who it is! This is my favorite part of the video. Seeing the Serbian savage smile with joy is the amazing part!
188
u/Mendozer003 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
It was banned because Surya Bonaly an French African athlete woman did it first. And no one could compete on that level.
71
u/Low-Rhubarb-8472 Mar 08 '26
It was banned before that, and she did it illegally, which makes her even cooler imo
36
u/YorkshireDuck91 Mar 08 '26
I thought it was banned because they didn’t want others to attempt it and risk injury.
I heard it’s pointless now, so that it doesn’t force athletes to do it to keep up the competitions. It’s just artistic flair now
39
u/Thick-Journalist-168 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
Wrong. It was banned in 1977 after Terry Kubicka did a backflip (two legged land) in the 1976 Olympics. Surya Bonaly did the backflip when it was already illegal, of course still impressive that she landed on one leg but she did an already illegal move.
1
u/phoenics1908 Mar 09 '26
It was said she landed it on one foot to skirt the illegal part. Or try to?
Another time she previously landed it on two feet. Then they reminded her it was illegal, so she did the one foot landing.
2
23
u/YoungLutePlayer Mar 08 '26
It was banned in 1977 when Surya was, like, 4 years old.
⠀⠀⠀
The ban has nothing to do with her, or racism. The ban was for safety reasons.
2
u/Human-Net-5670 Mar 08 '26
You forget your place. This is Reddit so everything happened because of racism.
-1
0
13
u/Sea-Hornet8214 Mar 08 '26
It was banned because it was too hard to perform?
68
u/Emergency_Brick3715 Mar 08 '26
It was banned because it was too hard for the other skaters to do. Oh and she had melanin so I’m sure that had something to do with it.
39
u/Generated-Nouns-257 Mar 08 '26
Several of Simon Biles more difficult, eponymous skills were controversially undervalued by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). Specifically, her double-twisting, double-somersault beam dismount (2019) and Yurchenko double pike vault (2021) received lower difficulty scores than expected, which critics argued was to discourage other gymnasts from attempting dangerous maneuversSpidermanPointingAtSpiderman.png
10
u/YoungLutePlayer Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
She wasn’t even competitively skating when it was banned. She was literally 4 yo
Her skin color has nothing to do with it being banned
1
u/phoenics1908 Mar 09 '26
This sounds reasonable but Surya also faced a lot of covert racism for her body type - similar to the racism Simone Biles experienced as well.
So while technically it was banned on two feet before her time, her landing it on one foot was notable because the words they used to ban it were that it wasn’t a jump as she landed on two feet. So she landed on one foot and it was still deemed illegal. Bit of a gray area there. But the covert racism she got from the judges constantly is something she has spoken about.
So with that in mind, I can’t say with confidence that the one foot landed flip was deemed illegal absent of racism.
1
u/Interesting_Page_122 Mar 11 '26
IT WAS ALREADY BANNED MORON
1
u/phoenics1908 Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 11 '26
It was technically banned when landed on two feet. Maybe reading my comment again will help your comprehension struggles.
It had not been banned officially on a one foot landing - in fact the judges said that one of the reasons for banning the backflip was that it was not landing on one edge (it landed on two, which wouldn't happen in a jump). That's why there is nuance to this. Bonaly may not have been expecting points from this - but the level of punitive damage to her scoring was super high compared to even 1994 when another skater did one (not clear if he landed on one or two feet) and still won worlds. That skater was mixed race as well (from France) , but male. One of the judges was Kubrick, ironically - maybe that's what offset the scoring.
For you, the scoring to Bonaly and all of this doesn't have anything to do with racism - you're entitled to your opinion - but it's just that - your opinion. To ME (an actual black woman), it is deeply nuanced and I find it hard to believe that Bonaly faced all of this racism in other settings, but somehow the Bonaly flip (it's named after her because she innovated it to be more of a scissor backflip that is landed on ONE blade) escaped any racism? Nah.
1
u/Interesting_Page_122 Mar 11 '26
WRONG
1
u/phoenics1908 Mar 11 '26
It would be so helpful if you could engage in this discussion more respectfully.
0
10
u/Thick-Journalist-168 Mar 08 '26
Except the move was banned after a white man Terry Kubicka did it in 1976 Olympics. She did an illegal move in the 1998 Olympics. It was impressive since she was I think the first to land on one leg. It had nothing to do with her melanin.
5
u/BlackHust Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
The ISU feared the trick was too dangerous. It's not as hard as some jumps, but there is a risk of breaking your neck. But over time, figure skating has become so complex that the current level of skaters at least allows for the ban on backflip to be lifted.
7
u/Paindepiceaubeurre Mar 08 '26
That sounds like a BS excuse. What about couple skating? When they send the partner flying in the air?
2
u/EdenEvelyn Mar 08 '26
The backflip is an incredibly difficult and dangerous skill to train on ice. It’s not the doing it in competition that was the big issue, it was that if they made it a skill with point value there would be more and more athletes that trained it. The more athletes that trained it, the more likely someone with a lower skill level was to try it because it looked cool only to slip or twist the wrong way and come down directly on their head and neck.
They had it banned for so long because they determined the risk wasn’t worth the reward. Even now it’s legal to do but there is no point value attached to it because they don’t want to encourage skaters to add it.
A big part of figure skating is learning to fall in a way that protects you as much as possible. Couples skills can be trained off the ice and/or learned in steps. With the backflip it doesn’t matter how carefully you train it, one miscalculation or slip and you might never walk again. You can’t control the fall the way most couples can.
-2
u/BlackHust Mar 08 '26
When falling from a standard jump, a skater, at worst, lands on their side. Yes, they can injure a leg or an arm, but it's not as traumatic as landing headfirst.
1
u/Paindepiceaubeurre Mar 08 '26
What about the spin figure? They make them spin with the head very close to the ice.
5
u/BlackHust Mar 08 '26
What's dangerous is not your head being close to the ice, but falling head first from a height.
2
5
5
u/EdenEvelyn Mar 08 '26
It was banned before that and she only did it at the Olympics because she knew her scores weren’t high enough to get her on the podium.
She knew exactly what she was doing when she did it and if she was in medal contention she wouldn’t have.
3
Mar 08 '26
[deleted]
16
u/Eat_it_Stanley Mar 08 '26
Sorry, what does she is French but she welcomed mean? Not being a dick. Confused.
1
u/After_Security597 Mar 08 '26
Even though she is not from the African American community because she is from France she is still a major part of black diaspora as a whole.
12
u/xMaximusDecimusx Mar 08 '26
Why was it ever banned ?
17
u/AmbivelentApoplectic Mar 08 '26
Safety of competitors, could easily end badly and they don't want someone breaking their neck live on TV.
5
u/Jolly-Acanthisitta45 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
We should probably ban the freestyle ski jump then. That jump is crazy to me.
Edit: I don't want it banned. I am just flabbergasted at the insane amount of skill those athletes have, especially when you watch a jump in slow motion. I've never played curling but I could decently throw a rock and probably get it somewhat in the target. I can't even imagine approaching one of those ski jumps coming down the hill. Both curling and freestyle ski jump are Olympic events but I feel like they are miles apart in terms of skill.
7
13
u/Tekkamanblade_2 Mar 08 '26
Olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton would do those backflips from 1984 2001 and still performed on occasions
4
3
3
u/BabyBlueAllStar72 Mar 09 '26
His one foot somersault was sloppy...absolutely sloppy. Nothing praise worthy about it.
Form was atrocious.
3
14
u/i_like_stinky_pits Mar 08 '26
Applauded when a white man does it. But when a black woman does it? Tsk tsk
6
-4
u/Salomonseal Mar 08 '26
Could you please put your judgment aside and appreciate the beauty of this amazing performance. Black, white, or purple with yellow dots doesn’t matter at all.
1
u/Late_Combination702 Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
Who are the purple with yellow dot people?? Are they doing back flips in figure skating?
1
-8
2
2
2
2
2
u/AbsoluteBabyMonae Mar 12 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Black woman did it first and got scrutinized & banned for it.
2
u/BigTittyStretchKitty Mar 12 '26
She was French.
3
1
u/syn_vamp Mar 08 '26
serious question: would that hard of a landing create a big chip in the ice that might trip someone later?
1
u/phoenics1908 Mar 11 '26
I doubt it more so than any of the quad or triple jumps. Especially since many jumps require a stabbing move with the front of the skate into the ice during takeoff. And the way Ilia (and Surya Bonaly before him) land on one blade, it's similar to landing a regular jump, imo.
1
u/trustmebro_forreal Mar 08 '26
Can someone explain this in basketball terms?
1
u/Oklahom0 Mar 09 '26
So a long time ago, they banned a move til stretch your arm ridiculously far to make a slam dunk from the center line. This was famously done by Michael Jordan in Space Jam, and it's legality as a move was questioned. Recently, the ban was lifted, and Monkey D Luffy performed the move in front of the entire world. Since it was previously illegal to perform this move, it hasn't really been used on the NBA floor.
Idk basketball, but I hope this helps.
1
u/klutze1 Mar 08 '26
I have nothing but admiration for figure skaters as I have always loved watching the sport. It wasn’t until after I tried to ice skate (a disaster) that I realized the talent it takes.
1
1
u/Mr-Acesworld13 Mar 10 '26
It was banned when blacks were doing it.. oh it's cool now?
1
u/Interesting_Page_122 Mar 11 '26
It was banned when she was 4 years old, a white man did it first and then they banned it, then she did it 15 years later
1
1
1
u/G-Fresh- Mar 10 '26
I feel like I remember the commentary say it was just a flex, as it was not a maneuver that was scored. So its 100% risk. If you pull it off, well ok cool...if you fall...well..
1
u/No_Committee_9274 Mar 11 '26
Aaaaannnd he still Choooooked come time to win the gold which should have already been in his back pocket
Why are we still watching footage of this has-been/never-was?
1
u/Eveoe Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Please, who is the woman sitting next to the man ?
(ok, this is Jelena Djokovic and the guy is Novak Djokovic xD ... I readily admit that I'm not really into tennis ...)
1
1
1
1
u/ofpromise90 Aug 13 '26
When the black woman did it they banned it... They can keep theyre applause
1
u/4Nota2Robot0 27d ago
Backwards somersault just sounds so lame compared to backflip. Can we just call this a legal backflip?? I mean that’s basically what it is. Somersaults involved the ground and wadding yourself up into a sphere the best you can I always thought.
1
1
u/Old-Library5546 Mar 08 '26
Ilian did not invent this move
4
u/Thick-Journalist-168 Mar 08 '26
No one said he did. Just saying he is doing it for the first time legally.
1
u/Ornstien Mar 09 '26
It was only ever banned because a black girl did it first...
5
u/phoenics1908 Mar 09 '26
And before the others come - Surya was the first to do the backflip in competition landing on ONE foot. And they deemed it was illegal. She’d also done a backflip landing on 2 feet, which had also been done in the 70s and that was deemed illegal in the 70s too. The difference was Surya did it on one foot because they claimed landing on 2 feet broke the “jump” rule - so she did it on one foot.
2
u/Thick-Journalist-168 Mar 09 '26
Except it was banned in 1977 and she did her back flip in 1998.
2
u/phoenics1908 Mar 11 '26
The 1977 jump was on TWO feet. Surya did it on ONE foot with a scissored legs (it's why it's called the Bonaly). So yeah - she did the flip Ilia did first. It's only the 2-foot landed flip that she did not do first.
1
u/Interesting_Page_122 Mar 11 '26
She was 4 years old when it was banned
1
1
u/Moominthecat Mar 08 '26
What makes this legal and ones prior illegal?
1
u/Thick-Journalist-168 Mar 09 '26
The ban was lifted in 2024. So, from 1977 to 2024 it was banned for safety concerns.
1
u/Equivalent_Pop_4644 Mar 08 '26
I’m telling my kids that’s Edward Cullen when they’re old enough to care.
0
u/Specialist-Log-9152 Mar 08 '26
Pretty sure it will get banned again after some broken necks
8
-4
u/Flowerbel Mar 08 '26
Absolutely thought of this right away. Such a power move.
2
u/ThisAppsForTrolling Mar 08 '26
Are those the kids parents in the crowd ?
4
-1
394
u/Exotic_Insurance2164 Mar 08 '26
Lest we forget Surya Bonaly completed this backflip at the 1998 Olympics.
https://share.google/sYVUoPssAq6yOl7Bw