American figure skater Ilia Malinin has been incorporating gymnastics into his skating routines, showcasing his ability to effortlessly execute quadruple jumps and even incorporate a backflip into his program. The backflip, once banned in competition due to safety concerns, has recently been removed from the restricted list by the International Skating Union, allowing skaters like Malinin to showcase this daring move.
Malinin, known for being the first skater to land the 4 1/2-revolution quad axel in competition, expressed his intention to continue including the backflip in his routines and even hinted at enhancing it with additional elements in the future. At a recent competition, Malinin impressed the audience by landing the backflip during his free skate, along with executing five quadruple jumps to secure victory over his Japanese competitors.
