Everyone knew it was coming. But yet when it happened — when American figure skater Ilia Malinin effortlessly landed the first backflip at the Winter Games since 1998 — the crowd’s loud cheers rivaled ...
Ilia Malinin became the first person in 50 years to legally land a backflip at the Winter Olympics, doing it in the figure skating team event.
American figure skater Ilia Malinin made history on Saturday by becoming the first Olympian ever to hit a backflip in competition.