Formerly a competitive gymnast, Surya Bonaly is famous for her backflip landed on only one blade.
At the 1991 World Championships, she became the first and only female to attempt a quadruple toe loop jump. Her jump was not fully rotated in the air and she had to complete the rotation on the ice, making it a triple and not a quadruple. Bonaly was never credited with successfully landing the jump …
At the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan, Bonaly finished well out of reach of the gold medal following the short program. Believing she was unjustly scored, Bonaly decided to perform her back flip during the free skate to make a statement. The move, illegal in competition, caused a stir and resulted in a deduction but Bonaly was content with her decision. Bonaly then retired from amateur competition.
Bonaly toured with the Champions on Ice skating show for several years until it went out of business after 2007. She also performed in shows in Russia with Evgeni Plushenko and was a guest skater at Ice Theatre of New York’s December 2008 gala in NYC where she successfully performed her back flip. …
The website Ministry of Tofu posted a great photo essay about the Chinese youth trampoline training program at the Fujian Trampoline Center where 2008 Olympic Champion He Wenna got her start. Because of her success, among the first Chinese to win an Olympic Gold medal, the Fujian Trampoline Center became the Training Center for the National Team.
There are 40 students there, selected for their potential, who range in age from 5-16. …
Slackliners walk across highlines of various lengths at the Fruitbowl in Moab, Utah, during the sixth annual Gobble Gobble Bitches Yeah (GGBY) gathering on November 30, 2013.
GGBY is an unofficial gathering of slackliners from all over North America, bringing some of the newest members and biggest names in the sport. The Fruitbowl has lines ranging from 25 to 330 feet long, all roughly 450 feet above the ground. …