#SURYA BONALY

[dozydawn]

Surya Bonaly, 1994. Photographed by Reinhold Eckert and David Madison.

[itszonez]

SURYA BONALY | appreciation post; The only Olympic figure skater to land a backflip on one blade

[rruffian]

Idk I think this might just be the most optimal out of all the shapes the human body can possibly be arranged into

[bunnyb34r]

If I had a nickel for every time there was a French figure skater who did an illegal backflip, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice

[princessniitza]

Surya Bolany - Free Skate - 1998 Nagano Olympics

[imadititom]

She did that!

An Icon.

My Grandma wanted me to start Ice Skating...in Cameroon. 😂

We settle for roller skating.

The power of Representation.

She now teaches her sport in Brooklyn.

[valkyries-things]

SURYA BONALY // FIGURE SKATER

“She is a French-born retired competitive figure skater. She is a three-time World silver medalist (1993-1995), a five time European champion (1991-1995), the 1991 World Junior Champion and a nine-time French national champion (1989-1997). She is the only woman to ever perform a backflip on ice and land on one foot. Backflips are still forbidden in ice-skating.”

[midheaventoyou]

people predict and i determine

[gschellyart]

[helenhaiku]

[dozydawn]

Surya Bonaly, 1994. Photographed by Chris Cole and Bill Frakes.

[sivavakkiyar]

kinda ashamed that I’ve repeated the Réunion myth

[gwydionmisha]

[HD] Surya Bonaly - 2000 World Pro - Technical Program - Ninkou Latora - Cirque du Soleil

[hibiscusbabyboy]

Figure skater Surya Bonaly, 1989 💗

[locrianking]

nothing pisses me off more than how figure skating reporters/news will constantly and intentionally leave out important details of stories in order to produce ragebait for people who don’t know anything about figure skating

[everydayesterday]

hello! in case you don't know, Kamila Valieva is a figure skater under a terribly abusive (physically & psychologically) coaching team that has been known to starve their skaters & publicly weigh them. She tested positive for banned substances & was still allowed to compete in the olympics, a situation that is still depriving the US, Japanese, & Canadan teams of their medals. She's also regularly used in russian war propoganda. Please keep this in mind when watching and spreading her routines.

hello/hola/bonjour back to you. I'm pretty up on kamila's situation, especially with everything that came out during the olympic brouhaha. I get it, and yes, I hate it. that said, she's a 16-year-old girl that loves to figure skate and put together an *amazing* routine and deserves to be seen. I am celebrating her, and not the chaff.

after all, we can only do our best to separate the good in life from the bruise of governments and autocrats and the machinery therein. if we were to hold back from sharing her work, are we trying to vilify her while we also paint her as a victim? [Ed. note: I apologize if this feels dismissive; sadly, doesn't it feel laborious to have to thoroughly contextualize every simple thing? I'm thinking aloud. maybe posting this discussion/response will enlighten a newbie's eyes to the dark world of high performance sports, especially in Russia.]

and about this notion of nations using athletes in propaganda... indeed, that is a fundamental aspect of nationalism and militarism—the superiority of one's citizens as displayed through physical prowess; Russia isn't exactly alone here. it all dances together. if you're from the U.S., just watch some professional sports with their anthems and salutes to the troops, etc. [Ed. note: I wrote an entire Master's thesis about Vladimir Putin and the petrostate tying into Soviet nationalist lore in the world of professional hockey in Russia, and I have worked in a professional capacity with high-profile Russian hockey players that have played in both Putin's KHL as well as here in the United States]

anyway, the world contains multitudes. sometimes we just need to see the beautiful sky beyond the smog.

(I appreciate you having taken the time to send in your note. may you enjoy your day.) ⛸️ (and if you don't watch Yuri on Ice, seek it out)