As the world comes off the Winter Olympics high as the events close this weekend and tennis superstar Serena Williams returns to the court, many are thinking of other world champions who have faced tremendous feats in the world of sports.
One South African writer Khaya Dlanga brought figure skater Surya Bonaly‘s story to the fore on twitter yesterday and it struck a cord to many. Bonaly is the only Olympic figure skater to land a backflip on only one blade which she performed at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
Black woman in white dominated sports have had it tough. We forget how the press treated Venus and Serena, how they were booed by crowds. But let me tell you about Surya Bonaly, a French figure skater who is the only Olympic skater to land a backflip – male or female. On one leg. pic.twitter.com/E99ywQq7m9
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— Khaya Dlanga (@khayadlanga) February 20, 2018
But 1st, her 1994 World Figure Skating Champions podium finish.
She won silver. The scores between 1st and her 2nd place were super close. Instead of standing on the podium, she stood next to it because she believed she had been robbed of 1st place.
— Khaya Dlanga (@khayadlanga) February 20, 2018
Later, she said the judges said she was too athletic and not artistic enough. She became artistic, it was still not good enough. For her artistic marks, four judges ranked her 1st. One marked her 3rd, bringing down her overall score. “I don’t know what I have to do. It’s crazy.”
— Khaya Dlanga (@khayadlanga) February 20, 2018
Watching some documentaries about her, I heard people say she was not an ice-princess like the others. Not graceful. She was too muscular. She was too strong and too fast. She was too showbiz. Too this. Too that.
We have had the same with Caster. It’s code. To this. Too that.
— Khaya Dlanga (@khayadlanga) February 20, 2018
By the end of her career, she was three time World Silver Medalist, five-time European champion, World Junior champion and nine-time French Champion.
— Khaya Dlanga (@khayadlanga) February 20, 2018
The only single leg backflip landing. She did it at the 1998 Olympics even though it was banned. She knew she was not in contention to win. She had just come back from an injury and was not at her best, she was having fun and she ended with a bang. A Wakandan. A Dora Milaje. pic.twitter.com/3vHHErS0je
— Khaya Dlanga (@khayadlanga) February 20, 2018
A little more about Bonaly: She was born in France, and adopted by parents who gave her the name Surya Bonaly at 18 months. As a 2014 feature about her on Huffington Post highlighted, she has always been a crowd favorite, with exceptional style both on the ice and in her outfits and makeup.
In addition to her many medals and accolades, she has been extremely vocal about race and unfair treatment in the sport. In an interview where she was asked if her race affected her career? Bonaly said, “if I’d been white, I would have had more [endorsement] contracts and been bigger.” This was also evident when she famously removed the silver medal from her neck during the medal ceremony at the World Championships in 1994 after winning second place when she believed she deserved first.
Now 45, she continues to skate and coach around the world.
Check out some Twitter reactions to Bonaly’s story below:
1 of the reasons i stopped playing ice hockey
— earlzee???????????????? (@leza89) February 21, 2018
I’m so tearful, this what so many talented little blacks girls go through trying to break into white and male dominated sports.
— IBlockForBlackPantherSlander (@Martin_RSA) February 21, 2018
What a brave young lady to stand her ground in front of a hostile group of racially charged people who fail to recognize excellence in sport.
— Chris Ngcanga, (@ChrisNgcanga) February 21, 2018
A client of mine said something so profound… she says a black child is born with confidence and the world does its most to break them down every single day!!! We cannot allow it????
— Thembeka (@ThizleDlamini) February 20, 2018
