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How Backflipping Black Figure Skater Surya Bonaly Changed Sports Forever

Mar 21, 2024
three ways this

black

figure

skater

who did backflips

changed

sports

forever

number three: she was the first and only

figure

skater

to do a backflip. French figure skater Surya

bonaly

dominated figure skating in the late 80s and 90s by being the first and only woman in the sport to complete a very illegal and dangerous backflip and is also the only person in history to perform the same. which they call a

bonaly

which involves not only a heart to do a backflip but also splitting in the air and the skater landing on one foot was the first to complete the move. on television broadcast at the 1998 Olympics was a last resort after failing to complete his routine due to a leg injury the day before, only three other figure skaters in history have been able to do the very dangerous backflip, all of them men indeed. but they all landed on both feet and didn't do a split in the air like bonneli, although it was the first time in history that anyone had seen something like that, yes, even the judges, Bonnie only made it to 10th place because the backflip is illegal.
how backflipping black figure skater surya bonaly changed sports forever
The impressive move was not counted toward her score and the judges refused to make an exception despite her historic second moment. She didn't look like other figure skaters. Bonaly was not a graceful swan in the world of figure skating like most. Of her opponents were and she was totally okay with that, not only was she one of the few

black

women in figure skating, but her historic backflip showed that she was also tremendously athletic. Bonneli was known for preferring athletics to art, she had a strong and muscular figure and would always prefer more difficult tricks to choreography, this made her unfavorable to the judges, who claimed that the bone style did not meet the criteria of figure skating, but There often seemed to be an undercurrent of racism and gender expectations in the criticism that judges and the media even leveled against her.
how backflipping black figure skater surya bonaly changed sports forever

More Interesting Facts About,

how backflipping black figure skater surya bonaly changed sports forever...

Although she was wonderful and gave great performances, she did not look like the ice princess, former judge and skater commentator Sandra Bezeq once said of Bonaly. I'd like to see her stop jumping for six months and learn to skate. Bezeq affirms that Bonaly does. She was not a figure skater because, according to Pesek, the sound of the Bone Skeets on the ice was squeaky compared to other judges' favorites like Yuka Sato and Katya Gordeeva number three, she was a total rebel. Remember Chazz Michael Michaels from Blades of Glory, let's say I wouldn't be surprised if that character was inspired by bonaly, while bonaly was never as rebellious as chaz.
how backflipping black figure skater surya bonaly changed sports forever
She was one of the few figure skaters at the time who spoke her mind. Her infamous second place finish at the 1994 World Championships resulted in bonaly. She refused to go up to the podium during the medal ceremony. Bond Alize's moment of protest led the judges to believe she was a sore loser. She inspired a conversation about race and gender expectations. She ultimately lost to Yuka Sato, a clear favorite of the judges who represented everything that was good. She is not a graceful female skater in the traditional ice princess mold; the commentator for that match claims that Sato did not do as many jumps as Bonaly.
how backflipping black figure skater surya bonaly changed sports forever
Sato earned the majority of her points for her artistry, while most of Bona Lee's points came from jumps and moves. Now, Minnesota's coaches recently told the Radiolab podcast that he doesn't believe his rocky figure skating career has anything to do with racism, but he did admit that when you're black, everyone knows you have to do better than anyone else. white. She was a complete badass.

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