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While the American male skater is getting attention for performing the 1st legal backflip landing on one skate, let's acknowledge the 1st person to have done this: a Black French girl, Surya Bonaly. She, however, lost points for doing it.
"Regarding the criticism she received during her career, Bonaly said she was “born too early,” ...
“I broke ice for other skaters,”...“Now everything is different. People welcome anyone as long as they are good & that is what life is about.”
#SuryaBonaly's story at the 1998 #Nagano #WinterOlympics is a marvel
She committed an error and was out of medal contention. So she went "fuck it, if the judges don't appreciate me for my athletic gifts, I am going to win on my own terms" and was the first Olympic woman to do a #backflip in #figureskating *on one blade*
And sure enough, we talk about that today more than anything else from then
"Fuck the haters, I'll win on my terms, I'm going to live my life"
Be like Surya
