Ilia Malinin's latest backflip highlights Olympic figure skating short program

Ilia Malinin is must-see TV.

Even if you don’t know figure skating or its typical beats, Malinin is an entertainer on the ice who pulls off elements that few others can. He competed in the men’s short program on February 10 and came away with the top score in yet another impressive performance.

Malinin didn’t even go all the way into his bag while winning the event. He is known for his quadruple axel but didn’t attempt one. Instead, Malinin showed off his “Raspberry Twist” and a backflip. While impressive, neither move earned him any points and were included purely to hype himself and the crowd.

Here’s more on Malinin’s latest short program.

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Ilia Malinin backflip video

Malinin is a showman on the ice. Beyond landing a quadruple axel with such consistency that it earned him the nickname “Quad God,” he also pulls off moves that don’t earn him any points at all.

He is known for a side-flip-twirl move he calls the “Raspberry Twist,” which does not receive any points. Malinin is also known for performing backflips while skating, another crowd-pleasing element that earns no points.

Ilia Malinin è semplicemente out of this world... Incredibile quello a cuo assistiamo ogni volta che pattina#Olimpiadilnvernali2026 #MilanoCortinaOlympic2026 pic.twitter.com/iULYMUT5Jn

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Ilia Malinin short program score

Malinin earned the top score for the men's short program on Tuesday. He was atop the leaderboard with a 108.16. Yuma Kagiyama took second place with a 103.07, and Adam Siah Him Fa had a 102.55 to earn the bronze. 

Here is a breakdown of the executed technical elements that Malinin pulled off.

Here is a breakdown of his program components.

If you add both of the scores together, you get Malinin's final score of 108.16.

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Are backflips legal in figure skating?

Sort of. Backflips in figure skating are legal, and skaters are permitted to attempt and complete them. The caveat is that backflips are not scored and thus are worth no points. So, if a figure skater like Malinin wants to attempt one, it is just for flair and maybe to excite the crowd. 

Figure skating has long cemented the moves that can earn points, and they have not updated with many of the impressive feats that skaters are able to pull off in modern day.