A 15-year-old Russian figure skater landed a historic, seemingly gravity-defying quad jump at the Olympics
- A 15-year-old Russian figure skater became the first woman to land a quad jump at the Olympics.
- Kamila Valieva performed the skill twice at Monday's free skate event.
A 15-year-old Russian figure skater landed a historic quadruple jump at the Beijing Olympics on Monday — and she did so twice.
At Monday's free-skate event, Kamila Valieva performed the gravity-defying skill two times, making her the first woman to successfully land a quadruple jump at the Olympics. She attempted a third quad jump, but fell on her final attempt.
In her program, Valieva completed a quad salchow and a quad toe that included a triple-toe combination — a move that features four rotations in the air.
If these videos are not accessible in your area, you can see the entire routine at the end of this post.
Her record-breaking skills helped Russia win the gold medal in the team figure-skating competition.
The United States followed with silver, and Japan took home the bronze.
"I am very happy that I managed to do two quad jumps and one triple axel," Valieva said at a press conference following her performance. "From the age of 3, I told my mother that I want to be an Olympic champion. This dream came true."
You can see the entire routine here.