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Adam Siao Him Fa wins the European figure skating championship with a backflip
France’s Adam Siao Him Fa executed a back flip during his free skate at the European Championships, a move deemed illegal and reminiscent of the one popularized by fellow French figure skater Surya Bonaly. Despite the two-point deduction for the unconventional move, Siao Him Fa successfully defended his European champion title in Kaunas, Lithuania, outscoring silver medalist Aleksandr Selevko of Estonia by 19.18 points. The back flip, performed near the end of his free skate, did not impact the final standings. Siao Him Fa, 22, addressed the crowd, stating he did the back flip as a “little French touch.” While skaters like Nathan Chen have done back flips in exhibitions, the most famous one was Bonaly’s at the 1998 Nagano Games. Siao Him Fa’s landing was two-footed, in contrast to Bonaly’s one-skate landing.
The move by Terry Kubicka at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics led to its ban due to safety concerns and violation of the figure skating principle of landing on one skate. Siao Him Fa, currently ranked second globally based on this season’s best score, is a contender for a medal at the upcoming world championships in Montreal, alongside American Ilia Malinin. Born to parents from Mauritius, Siao Him Fa has shown significant improvement, rising from 14th at the 2022 Olympics to winning two Grand Prix events in the fall after finishing 10th at last season’s worlds.
