Ilia Malinin wins Olympic gold with historic backflip

At the Winter Olympics, American figure skater Ilia Malinin stunned the world and made history. The 21-year-old delivered a gold medal performance by landing a highly dangerous element that had been banned in figure skating for nearly 50 years, completing it flawlessly on the Olympic stage.

After landing a backflip on two feet earlier, Malinin upgraded the move to a one-foot takeoff in his final routine. The element was banned in 1977 due to safety concerns and only reinstated in 2024. Malinin became the first skater to perform it legally, securing Olympic gold.