Has figure skating reached the limits of human performance?

"It was at a relatively minor event in upstate New York in September 2022 that Ilia Malinin, the self-anointed Quad God who was fast becoming the biggest name in figure skating, finally landed the jump that so many people had thought impossible. Others had tried quad axels in competition over the years. All of them had fallen. That extra 180 degrees of rotation necessary for the only jump in skating that starts with a forward-facing entry proved to be a half-revolution too much."

"By landing the quad axel, Malinin may have maxed out the boundaries of human performance. Most sports scientists agree that the speed and amplitude necessary for five-revolution jumps truly is impossible, leaving figure skating at a crossroads, where a dearth of innovation threatens to take the shine off a sport already fighting to maintain popularity. I think it's kind of natural that we were going to get to this point,"

Ilia Malinin landed the quad axel in September 2022 at a minor event in upstate New York, executing a jump many had thought impossible. Prior competition attempts ended in falls because the extra 180 degrees of rotation made a half-revolution too much. The landing in the Lake Placid arena generated international headlines and shocked the skating community. The six main jumps remain the same, differing only by revolutions. Sports scientists consider five-revolution jumps unattainable, leaving figure skating at a crossroads as innovation slows and popularity faces pressure. Malinin says he has not reached his top in technical skill, jumps, spins, or creativity.

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