Surya Bonaly's quiet revolution - CBC Player's Own Voice
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2020 11:34 pm
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French figure skater Surya Bonaly's career truly is the stuff of legend.
She was the first woman ever to perform back flips in competition — the jump remains illegal to this day. Her gymnastic virtuosity set her apart from her contemporaries, as did her principled defiance at unfair judging. When she handed back her silver medal at the 1994 world championships, the gesture was compared to the raised fists in Mexico City in 1968.
Bonaly revolutionized her sport, yet never considered herself to be a rebel. She quietly did what she thought was right and let the figure skating world create its own uproar.
A classic Bonaly performance delighted fans and brought entire arenas to their feet, but left judges bound by the rules to award relatively low scores compared to the audience's boisterous reactions.