While many of the most memorable Olympic moments involve skaters winning medals, this one came from an athlete who knew she was out of medal contention. Surya Bonaly, a French skater and three-time World silver medalist, had a reputation for attempting (and often landing) incredibly difficult jumps, especially in combination. And the quadruple jumps that are still so rare in women's figure skating? Bonaly became the first woman to attempt one in competition in 1992.
Nevertheless, Bonaly was in sixth place heading into the free skate at the 1998 Olympics, her third and final Winter Games. Still battling back from an Achilles injury that had hampered her jumps, the former gymnast decided to play to the crowd with a backflip — a move that had been banned from figure skating since 1976. She landed it on one foot to the delight of the audience. While the element was penalized by the judges, it cemented Bonaly's place in Olympic history — and continued to thrill spectators at ice shows once she turned pro.
Watch Bonaly's famous backflip here.
