American figure skater Ilia Malinin has practiced off-ice gymnastics much of his life, one of the many reasons he can so easily land the dazzling quadruple jumps that made him a world champion at just 19 in last March.

This is also why Malinin was able to integrate the backflip into his program so easily.

Once banned in competition due to their inherent danger, somersaults and all other somersault-style jumps were removed from the restricted list by the International Skating Union after last season. And almost immediately, they began appearing in lower-tier competitions, including the Lombardia Trophy last month, when Malinin landed one on his way to victory.

But what about bigger competitions, like Skate America, which opens the Grand Prix season Friday night in Allen, Texas? Or the world championships in March in Boston, the last before the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy?

“I definitely plan to keep it,” said Malinin, the first skater to successfully land the quad axel at 4 1/2 turns in competition. “I’m thinking about ways to really improve it in the future as well, like adding a twist or some other crazy combination.

At the Lombardi Trophy, Malinin landed the backflip late in his free skate, set to “I’m Not a Vampire” by Falling in Reverse. He also landed five quads in two clean routines to outdistance Japanese rivals Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato.

“I’ve been doing it off ice for four or five years now,” said Malinin, who first performed the backflip on ice using support ropes to help guide his landing. “I was doing gymnastics and it started to become muscle memory.

Many skaters, including reigning Olympic champion Nathan Chen of the United States, have been performing exhibition backflips for years. And in January, France’s Adam Siao Him Fa was so far ahead in his free skate at the European Championships that he added one to his routine, even though he knew it would cost him points.

The most famous backflip in competition took place during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan. Surya Bonaly, who knew she would finish without any medals, landed one on a single blade during her free skate – this particular flip now bears her name.

Skate America is the first of six Grand Prix events leading up to the Grand Prix Final in December in France. And with just over a year until the Winter Games, the main contenders for Olympic medals will begin to emerge.

Russian and Belarusian athletes are once again banned from competing due to the war in Ukraine.

Women’s competition

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, who begins her Skate Canada season later this month, is trying to become the first woman to win four consecutive world titles since Carol Heiss won five in a row from 1956 to 1960. The American Scott Hamilton was the last skater to win four titles in a row, winning every title from 1981 to 1984.

World runner-up Isabeau Levito will be at Skate America with American teammates Bradie Tennell and Elyce Lin-Gracey, while Alysa Liu – the 2022 US Olympian fresh off a two-year retirement – ​​will open her skating season. Grand Prix at Skate Canada.

Ice dancing

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, two-time reigning world champions in ice dancing, are back with their sights set on winning their first gold medal in the event at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games. The duo finished fourth at the Beijing Games. They ultimately received their team gold medals as part of Team USA, withheld by the Russian anti-doping investigation at the Paris Olympics.

“We’re headed to Milan,” said Chock, who along with Bates is known for his avant-garde skating style. “We are always inspired and finding new things in our skating, and it’s great to continue to improve.”

Their biggest rivals are Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier from Canada and Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri from Italy.

Pairs competition

Reigning world champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps will begin their Grand Prix season at home, with Skate Canada. Their biggest competitors will be Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who won silver at the world championships, as well as Italians Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii and Germans Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin.

U.S. Duos Champions Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea will take the field at Skate America this weekend.