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Outlook: The 'illegal' backflip that shocked the Olympics

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Surya Bonaly at the 1995 World Championships Credit: Jean-Yves Ruszniewski/TempSport/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

17/02/2021 GMT

The 'illegal' backflip that shocked the Olympics

BBC World Service - Outlook, The 'illegal' backflip that shocked the Olympics

Surya Bonaly performed an ‘illegal’ move that cemented her name in figure skating history

Backflips and discrimination on ice, and remembering Mary Wilson of The Supremes – how she became a Motown star and why she hated some of their early hits.

At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan, French figure skater Surya Bonaly performed an ‘illegal’ move - a backflip - that cemented her name in sporting history. This interview was first broadcast in 2019.

Last week the singer Mary Wilson died at the age of 76. She was born to a poor family in Mississippi, the daughter of an itinerant worker and a mother who couldn't read or write, but she grew up to be a legend of Motown, co-founder of one of the most successful groups of all time: The Supremes. In an interview from the Outlook archives, Mary describes her childhood, why she hated some of their early hits and what really happened with Diana Ross.  

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com


Image: Surya Bonaly at the 1995 World Championships
Credit: Getty Images

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