Surya Varuna Claudine Bonaly (born 15 December 1973) is a French retired competitive figure skater. She is a three-time World silver medalist (1993–1995), a five-time European champion (1991–1995), the 1991 World Junior Champion, and a nine-time French national champion (1989–1997).

Bonaly is the only Olympic figure skater to land a backflip on one blade; she performed it at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

In the summer of 1990, Bonaly came in third place overall at the 1990 Goodwill Games, after coming in fourth place after the short program^[1] and third place during the free skating program, when she attempted to successfully accomplish a quadruple jump, although her landing was two-footed. Gailhaguet later stated that it was the closest she had come to landing a quad jump and that she was accomplishing them easily during practice.^[2] She also tried to accomplish seven triple jumps, but landed five. Randy Harvey of the Los Angeles Times reported that she was the only woman to attempt a quad jump during competition and that it was her best effort in three attempts, completing three-and-one-half revolutions, and called her free skating program "easily the most ambitious program"^[3] of the competition. She later told reporters that it was the first time she did not fall while attempting the quad.^[3] It was the first Bonaly won a bronze medal at an international competition.^[1] She performed a backflip for the audience during the awards ceremony.^[3]

Bonaly came in fifth place at the 1990 Skate America, in third place at the 1990 Skate Electric, and won the gold medal at the 1990 Grand Prix International de Paris and at the 1990 Nebelhorn Trophy.^[4][5]

Bonaly won the gold medal at the 1991 World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary, her final junior appearance.^[4] After earning her third national title, Bonaly competed at the 1991 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. She won the gold medal,^[5][6] placing ahead of two German skaters, Evelyn Großmann and Marina Kielmann.

The world press "first took note"^[6] of Bonaly after the competition. She was the first French female skater to successfully accomplish five triple jumps out of the seven jumps required in the free skate. Reporter Susan Du stated that early in Bonaly's career, "Her pure athleticism was immediately evident. She was quick. She was aerial. It wasn’t enough for her to simply glide and dance when she could leap and spin".^[6]

Bonaly came in fifth place at the 1991 Worlds Championships.^[5]

During the invasion of Kuwait, she designed a gala skating program that included a magic trick of a dove appearing, a symbol of peace.

Bonaly won Skate Canada in 1991.^[4] In January 1992, Bonaly outscored Kielmann and Patricia Neske for the gold medal at the European Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In February 1992, Bonaly participated in the Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. She said later that it was her favorite Olympics because it was her first one and because it took place in her home country.^[7] As a citizen of the host country, Bonaly was chosen to represent France's athletes by taking the Olympic Oath. Her costumes were designed and donated to her by French fashion designer Christian Lacroix.^[8][6] Before the Olympics, The New York Times reported that Bonaly and her mother "engaged in a series of disputes"^[9] between her coach, Didier Gailhaguet, and Annick Dumont, her choreographer, which the French federation helped mediate.^[10] Du later reported that Gailhaguet never lodged a complaint against Bonaly, but blamed Suzanne Bonaly for their dispute.^[6]

During a practice session a few hours before the short program in Albertville, Bonaly landed a backflip near Japan's Midori Ito;^[6] the Baltimore Sun reported that Ito was "forced to interrupt the final rehearsal of her program" and that she "never regained her composure",^[11] ultimately resulting in a fall 40 seconds after starting her short program during competition, replacing her planned triple Lutz jump for a triple Axel jump, and coming in fourth place. Shortly before the practice for the free skate, the referee of the women's competition at the Olympics gave Bonaly's mother "a rare warning"^[11] because officials had suspected for two years that Bonaly used the backflip in practices to intimidate other skaters. Her mother was furious about the warning, but passed it along to her daughter, who obeyed their demand.^[11]

She came in third place after the short program.^[12]

During the free skating program, Bonaly became the first woman to attempt a quadruple jump,^[13] the toe loop jump, at the Olympics, but although she and her coach thought that she was successful, the jump was not fully rotated and the quad was downgraded. She attempted seven jumps during her free skate. She two-footed the landing on her triple Lutz jump and fell after a triple flip jump, but successfully completed a triple Salchow jump, a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination jump, and a second triple Lutz jump.^[10] Bonaly later told reporters that she lost her concentration and felt "rattled right before going on the ice"^[10] because her mother was not allowed near the ice and because she and her coach disagreed about attempting the quad jump.^[10] According to Gailhaguet, he told her not to attempt the quad jump, but she did it, anyway. He also stated that Bonaly's mother had "made some enormous tactical errors, like changing Surya's Olympic long program at the last minute".^[9] Johnette Howard of Sports Illustrated stated that Bonaly's decision to attempt the jump "scuttled her chances" at winning the gold medal in Albertville.^[8] According to reporter Susan Du, the judges downgraded Bonaly's scores because it was "conceit to think she could land such a move, they seemed to say".^[6]

Poised to win a medal after Ito and Harding had finished in 4th and 6th respectively in the short program, Kristi Yamaguchi and Nancy Kerrigan both made major errors in the free skate before her.

Bonaly placed sixth in the free skate and came in fifth place overall.^[9][8]

After the Olympics, Howard reported that the Bonalys moved to a resort in the French Alps, "to train and to heal".^[6] As Du put it, "the break was a necessary respite".^[6] Bonaly and Gailhaguet decided to part company^[11] and she started working with André Brunet, an interim coach appointed by the French federation; according to The New York Times, they worked together for "an unsettling, contentious month".^[9] Howard reported that the French federation "shopping Surya to six coaches, five of whom said they would be happy to take her if Suzanne stayed out of the rink",^[8] although the Bonalys said they were never consulted about their coaching situation. They considered having Bonaly become professional, but chose against it when the French federation opposed it.^[8]

Bonaly concluded her season at the 1992 World Championships in Oakland, California. Ranked tenth place in the short program and 12th place in the free skate, she finished in 11th place overall.^[9] Bonaly later criticized Brunet's coaching style and said that "Oakland was the pits".^[9] She had made a number of jumping errors in both programs. She felt she was unfairly marked and later said that she had considered turning pro midway through the event.

From April to September 1992, Bonaly was coached mainly by her mother. She made two-month-long visits, in June and September, to train with coach Frank Carroll in southern California, at a rink The New York Times called "both a touchstone and a refuge" for both Bonaly and her mother.^[9] Although she wanted to work with Carroll permanently, the French skating federation was opposed to its skaters training abroad. Susanne Bonaly later said that they considered changing nationalities, but chose not to because they could not afford it, although there were reports that they probably could. Training with Carroll helped Bonaly improve; Bonaly won the Nations Cup, the Lilique Trophy, and the NHK Trophy that season.^[4][9] According to The New York Times, Bonaly was "skating less like a former gymnast and more like a dancer".^[9] The Times also stated that by the time she arrived in California to train with Carroll, she was more receptive, hardworking, and cooperative. Carroll said that they were able to "change the focus of what she thought was important in her skating to what the judges felt was important",^[9] which included stronger skating skills. He advised her to "appeal to the judges’ sense of good skating and put her own aesthetics aside" by giving up on accomplishing the quad, stop doing her backflip in front of judges, and by cutting her ponytail.^[6] Carroll also stated that the language barrier between he and Bonaly's mother helped the quality of their relationship.^[9]

Alain Giletti became Bonaly's coach, commuting four times a week by train from Tours to Paris to work with Bonaly, with her mother filling in during his absences. Giletti stated that Bonaly's improvement was due to better artistic expression, more self-confidence, and a better environment, adding that "the blossoming of Surya is due most of all to the fact that she has rediscovered the joy of skating".^[9]

During the summer of 1992, Bonaly signed a contract to join Tom Collins' troop, Champions on Ice, two months a year. It enabled her to show her technical abilities without limitations, because she could perform somersaults and other actions that were prohibited in competition.

In 1992, Bonaly was the favorite to win the 1993 European Championships in Helsinki,^[9] which she did.

She placed first in both segments ahead of Ukraine's Oksana Baiul and Germany's Marina Kielmann.

At the 1993 World Championships in Prague, she took silver behind Oksana Baiul, who had higher presentation scores.^[4][14] But Bonaly had significantly more technical content than the winner. Bonaly performed seven triples, a triple-triple combination, and two triple Lutzes, while Baiul performed five triples but did not attempt a jump combination.

Bonaly came in first place at the 1993 NHK Trophy.^[4] In January 1994, Bonaly placed first in all segments on her way to her fourth consecutive continental title at the Europeans Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. The other medalists were Ukraine's Oksana Baiul and Russia's Olga Markova.

A month later, Bonaly competed at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Ranked third place in the short program and fourth place in the free skate, she finished in fourth place overall, behind Ukraine's Oksana Baiul, American Nancy Kerrigan, and Chen Lu from China.^[4][8]

Bonaly and her mother moved to Pralognan-la-Vanoise, where the skater could train out of the public eye.^[8]

At the 1994 World Championships in Chiba, Japan, hometown favorite Yuka Sato came in first place after the short program by a narrow margin. Both she and Bonaly won four first-place votes from the nine judges, although Bonaly also earned three third-place votes.^[15] Sato won the free skate, also by a narrow margin, with scores ranging from 5.7 to 5.9; Bonaly's scores ranged from 5.5 to 5.9. Five of the nine judges rated Sato in first place, while four judges placed Bonaly in first place, although one judge placed Bonaly in third place after Tanja Swewczenko from Germany, who came in third place over all. Her final score was two-tenths of a point lower than Sato's. At the end, the judges indicated, by a 5-4 vote, that Sato would come in first place and win the gold medal.^[6][16] According to the Associated Press (AP), Giletti had suggested that Bonaly attempt the quadruple toe loop jump during the free skate but chose not to, although she successfully accomplished a triple flip jump-triple toe combination. She touched her hand on the ice after a triple loop jump late in her program, which the AP said cost her the competition.^[16]

Bonaly was given mostly 5.8s and 5.9s in her technical marks, in an "ambitious program" that included a triple toe loop-half loop-triple Salchow-double toe loop sequence of jumps and back-to-back triple jumps. She touched her hand to the ice during her triple loop jump later in the program and underrotated her triple-triple combination jump. Her presentation marks ranged from 5.5 to 5.9. Four judges ranked her in first place, although one placed in in third place.^[17]

Mickey Duzyj, director and executive producer of the Netflix documentary series Losers, which featured Bonaly in one episode, called her experience at Worlds "a frustrating failure".^[18]

Bonaly came in second place for the second year in a row, behind Yuka Sato from Japan, in a tiebreaking vote from the judges. Duzyj stated that she was "visibly distraught"; he also said, "What she saw as unfair treatment from the judges had become routine".^[18] She later told Duzyj, "When you do sport, the rule is that you're supposed to play fair, to be a good athlete and good sport, I get it. But I think at this point it was more an act of saying, 'OK, this is too much.' It happened many years in a row".^[18] Lipinski stated that Bonaly should not have taken off her medal; Bonaly responded by saying that her actions would be more acceptable if she were a man and that she needed to "show that [treating her differently] should not happen anymore".^[18] She also later told reporters, "It's not right".^[17]

Bonaly had expected the judges to reward her for improving her gracefulness, having stopped trying to land quadruple jumps, and having improved from previous championships, where she also finished second.^[6]

At first, she refused to take the podium during the awards ceremony and join Sato and Szewczenko, then pulled off her medal "in disgust"^[15] and as a protest against the judges' decision favoring hometown skater Sato during the awards ceremony and was booed by the crowd.^[8][18][17] She also choose to not attend the news conference held for the three top finishers afterwards.^[16] The AP called Bonaly's behavior "a temper tantrum".^[16] As Du stated, however, Bonaly "changed everything about the way she skated, what made her different, and special, even how she looked. She played by the rules. It still wasn’t enough".^[6] Bonaly later told Du that she felt that no matter how well she skated, the judges would not recognize her skills.^[6] Bonaly told Randy Harvey of the Los Angeles Times that she received mixed messages from her federation and judges; when she tried to be more successful using skating technique, she was told that she was not artistic enough, but when she chose to "change to just normal skating, that's not good, too".^[17]

The international federation first thought of punishing Bonaly for her actions, but decided to let it go, understanding that she was severely disappointed by the results.^[19]

Bonaly came in first place at the 1994 Skate America.^[4] In 1995, Bonaly won the European Championships for the fifth time, while nursing a broken right toe.^[6] At the 1995 World Championships in Birmingham, England, she placed fourth in the short program but rose to second after the free skate. She was awarded her third World silver medal, behind Chen Lu of China.^[4] For the third consecutive year, she lost the gold medal by one-tenth of a point, the score of one judge. Her free skate had the most difficult technical content, with two triple Lutzes, two triple-triple combos, and seven triples.

At the 1995 Worlds Championships, Bonaly came in fourth place during the short program. She skated better in her free skating program, successfully accomplishing six clean triple jumps, but came in second place overall for the third year in a row.^[15] According to The New York Times, she "even went out of her way to thank"^[15] American Michelle Kwan, whose performance in the free skate made it possible for Bonaly to win the silver medal.^[15]

In autumn 1995, Bonaly competed in the inaugural ISU Champions Series. She finished third and fourth at her assignments, which was not enough to qualify to the seven-woman final. Ranked first in the short program and second in the free skate, Bonaly took silver behind Russia's Irina Slutskaya at the 1996 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. She finished fifth at the 1996 World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She had placed seventh in the short, where she fell on a triple Lutz, and fifth in the free.

In 1996, Bonaly ruptured her Achilles tendon while practicing her backflip. Due to the injury, she missed most of the following season.^[6][20] She won her final and ninth consecutive French National title, which qualified her for the 1998 Olympics.^[6]

The French federation initially decided not to name her to the 1997 European Championships in Paris, believing that she lacked fitness, but Bonaly successfully appealed. She finished 9th overall after placing 6th in qualifying group B, 6th in the short program, and 10th in the free skate. She was not included in France's two-women team to the World Championships, passed over in favor of Vanessa Gusmeroli, the top French finisher at Europeans, and Laetitia Hubert, who placed behind Bonaly at the same event.

During the season, Bonaly was coached by her mother Suzanne Bonaly and Tatiana Tarasova in Marlborough, Massachusetts, United States.^[21] For her free skating program, Bonaly returned to music from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, which she had used in previous seasons.^[22]

Mike Penner of the Los Angeles Times reported that due to her injury in 1996, Bonaly was still "out of shape" at the 1998 European Championships, so as he put it, she ran out of gas midway through her [free skating] program--doing little more than gliding across the ice for the last two minutes".^[20]

In February 1998, Bonaly participated in the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. She called them "special" because it was her final Olympics and because they were "pretty much my last competition ever".^[7] Susan Du reported that her injury liberated her because she knew that "she had nothing to lose" and that realistically, she would not be able to place in the top three.^[6]

She placed sixth in the short program.

Penner contributed Bonaly's low scores, along with those of Chinese skater Chen Lu, in comparison to younger skaters like Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski, to ageism. Penner, who stated that Bonaly and Chen "felt the sting of the judges’ crackback against the aged"^[20] during the short program, reported that both skaters performed clean and pleasant programs. Her coach, Uschi Keszler, called her triple toe-triple toe combination jump "very difficult" and her spins "beautiful".^[20] Bonaly was given only one technical merit mark above a 5.3 and her presentation marks ranged from 4.9 to 5.7. Penner reported that Bonaly's coach "couldn't believe the marks"; Bonaly reacted by shrugging and stated, "After 10 years, I am used to it".^[20]

During the free skate, she skated to The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. She fell on a triple jump, and as Susan Du put it, "regained her composure, and backed into a spontaneous backflip";^[6] she was only skater in the world capable of successfully accomplishing it. The audience reacted with astonishment; When she finished her program, Bonaly "bore an exuberant smile" and "turned her back to the judges and bowed first to the fans".^[6] She came in tenth place over all.^[6]

Knowing that she was out of medal contention, unable to complete her planned routine or a successful triple Lutz due to injury, she decided to perform a backflip with a split landing on one blade during the free skate. (This move is now dubbed a "Bonaly"). Backflips had been banned since 1976 from competition held under ISU rules. Having landed on one foot, Bonaly hoped to avoid a deduction but did have points deducted.^[23] She was still pleased to have performed it. Bonaly is the first and only Olympic figure skater to land a backflip on one blade.

According to figure skating writer and historian Ellyn Kestnbaum, represented Bonaly's statement that at that point in her career, she was skating more for her fans than for the judges. Kestnbaum reports that observers interpreted Bonaly's behavior as disrespectful towards the judges and towards figure skating officials, and that it "signified Bonaly's decision to play a game she could win—popularity with fans—rather than placing herself in the position of being determined worthy, or on this occasion more likely unworthy, according to the technical judging criteria".^[22]

Bonaly finished in tenth place overall in Nagano^[12] and retired from amateur competition after the event.^[24][25]

Bonaly was known for her way of performing jumps and making very difficult new combinations :

• 1989 European Championships in Birmingham and 1989 World championships in Paris: 1st female figure skater to attempt the Lutz – triple toe loop combination.
• 1991 Skate America in Oakland: 1st female figure skater to attempt the flip – triple toe loop combination.
• 1991 Skate Canada in London: 1st female figure skater to attempt the triple – triple – double (triple toe loop – triple toe loop – double toe loop) combination.
• 1992 NHK Trophy in Tokyo: 1st female figure skater to attempt the Salchow – triple toe loop combination.
• 1993 World Championships in Prague: 1st female figure skater to attempt the toe loop – half loop – triple Salchow combination.
• 1993 Piruetten in Hamar: 1st female figure skater to attempt two triple – triple combinations in a free skate. She attempted the combination again at the 1994 Olympic Games and at the World Championships in 1994 and in 1995 by performing in the same free skate the flip – triple toe loop combination and the toe loop – half loop – triple Salchow jump sequence.
• 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano: 1st female figure skater to attempt a triple – triple combination at the Olympic Games in the short program (triple toe loop – triple toe loop).

• Bonaly was the first female figure skater to attempt a quadruple jump in competition at the 1990 European Championships.
• She tried at least thirteen times to do the quadruple toe loop or / and the quadruple Salchow in competition: two attempts at quad jumps at the 1990 European Championships (salchow and toe loop), a quad toe loop attempt at the 1990 World Championships, a quad toe loop attempt at the 1990 Goodwill Games, a quad Salchow attempt at the 1990 Trophée Lalique, a quad toe loop attempt at the World Championships in 1991, a quad toe loop attempt at the 1991 NHK Trophy, a quad toe loop attempt at the 1991 French Championships, a quad toe loop attempt at the 1992 Olympic Games, a quad toe loop attempt at the 1992 World Championships, a quad Salchow attempt at the 1993 Skate America, a quad Salchow attempt at the 1993 Piruetten and a quad Salchow attempt at the 1996 World Championships.
• She landed four times the quad toe loop in competition: at the 1991 World Championships, at the 1991 NHK Trophy, at the 1992 Olympic Games, and at the 1992 World Championships, but always with incomplete rotation that cost her points.
• At the 1990 European Championships in Leningrad, she was the first figure skater to attempt two different quads in the same free skate (Salchow and toe loop).

• As Hines put it, Bonaly is "remembered especially for her signature back flip".^[4] She performed her first backflip at an exhibition at the age of twelve in Annecy. Bonaly is also the first and only Olympic figure skater to land a backflip on one blade. On several occasions she has completed a backflip landing on two blades, followed by a triple toe loop, a backflip landing on one blade, followed by a triple Salchow, and two backflips in a row. Bonaly performed a backflip at her last amateur competition at the 1998 Olympic Games where she received a deduction for doing it. The deduction was mandatory given that backflips had been classified as an illegal move since 1976. After turning professional, at age 40, she performed her last backflip in public at an exhibition in São Paulo, Brazil. The backflip remained prohibited in competitions until the 2024-25 season when the ban was finally lifted.

Keli Goff of The Root stated that Bonaly was best known for her "famous backflips on ice".^[7] Goff also stated that Bonaly "wowed audiences with routines that combined the artistry of figure skating with the athleticism of a gymnast".^[7] She did the backflip at the 1998 Olympics because she was, up to that point, known for performing the move at exhibitions, but not at competitions, and because she "wanted to leave a trademark" at the Olympics.^[7]

During her exhibition program following the 1995 European Championships, despite a broken toe on her right foot and a strained right calf, Bonaly performed a backflip and a handspring, another move banned from competition, as well as seven triple jumps, and two triple-double combination jumps, "plus some spins and blade-flashing footwork, all set to music that conjured up visions of violin bows dancing, kettledrummers hunched over their labors and cellists sawing at their strings".^[8]

She performed her last backflip in 2014, but stopped doing them due to chronic pain.^[6]

As a professional, Bonaly had a "long and successful career".^[4] She performed in many ice shows all over the world and competed and won many professional competitions.^[4][24] She toured with Champions on Ice between 1993 and 2007. She performed her backflip during these shows, probably about 500 times, as well as triple and quadruple jumps. She performed for audiences of 15,000 people in major cities in Europe and the U.S.^[24][6]

She also was a guest skater at Ice Theatre of New York's December 2008 gala in NYC. She successfully performed her backflip there.

As of 2009, she coaches skaters between the ages of 3 and 59 in Las Vegas, Colorado, and Switzerland.^[24] By 2016, she also coached in Minnesota.^[6]

She told The Root in 2014 that she never had quit skating, that she was planning to tour with Holiday on Ice in Europe for three months, and that she performed in ice shows with Russian skater Evgeni Pleshenko for years.^[7]

Bonaly was an off-screen character on the "Will on Ice" episode of NBC's Will & Grace, which originally aired on 12 January 1999. In 2010, she was a finalist on La Ferme Célébrités season 3.

In 2009, she became the patron of the Decazeville Christmas ice rink in southern France.^[24]

In 2019, Bonaly was featured in the Netflix documentary series Losers, which explores the lives of individuals who bounced back from loss or perceived failure.^[18] Bonaly's episode, entitled "Judgement", focused on her defiance, "longevity" on the ice, and refusal to submit to conventions. In 2015, she underwent surgery after the discovery of numerous cysts along her spinal cord. This ended her performing career.

In 2009, the French newspaper La Dépêche called Bonaly "without a doubt the most successful figure skating champion of the last twenty years".^[24]

In 1990, the Chicago Tribune called Bonaly the second black female skater, after American skater Debi Thomas, "to reach the international elite".^[2]

Figure skating coach John Nicks called Bonaly "unique" and that it was her gymnastic abilities that made her special.^[2]

In 2011, figure skating historian James R. Hines called Bonaly "the most successful black skater in the history of the sport".^[4] In 2016, reporter Susan Du called Bonaly "one of the most celebrated black figure skaters in the history of a lily-white sport" and "the only human being in the history of the world who can land a backflip on one blade".^[6]

By the age of 17, Bonaly was called "the most daring jumper in the sport".^[2]

In an interview with the BBC, when asked if she ever felt that things were harder for her as one of the first black figure skaters, Bonaly said:

"It was a mix of so many things. First, because I was black for sure and I didn't try to copy anyone. Second, because I came from a small country. Third, because I've had a different hairstyle and look and also because my mother made my skating costumes for so many years. All those things together was just too much for some people to handle."^[23]

The Root called Bonaly one of the "handful of black stars to emerge" at the Olympics.^[7]

She spoke with The Root about the lack of diversity of winter sports and about racism in France and the U.S. in 2014, although things had improved by 2014, when more black people in France and the U.S. were skating.^[7] She said "I think that some were afraid and just thought skating [and other winter sports] are just for whites"^[7] and that she hoped that she inspired a new generation of diverse skaters, like black skaters like Debi Thomas had done for her.

In an interview with The Root, Bonaly said, "Race matters for sure, because I know that if I'd been white, I would have had more [endorsement] contracts and been bigger."^[7]

Bonaly elaborated on the matter when interviewed by Mathieu Méranville for his book Sport, malédiction des Noirs? (2007):

"There aren't many black figure skaters in the world. In France, it's starting to get better. If I were white, I would have been a gold medalist a long time ago. My motto was to tell myself that there was this obstacle but that I had to go beyond and work more because I knew it would be harder for me. I told myself that if my rival made five triples, I had to make seven. I tried not to think about race even if it was a reality. But how much influence race had on my marks? Two percent? More? I don't know. If I were light-skinned, it probably would have been easier. I preferred to be philosophical about it, since I was evolving with white parents."^[26]

When asked if she was scored differently at the 1994 Worlds Championships because she was black, Bonaly responded, "I never thought so, and I never really wanted to believe, 100 percent, it was that" and tried to find other explanations for how she was scored and was treated by the sport.^[18]

In 1995, Sports Illustrated said that Bonaly was "the most gifted and athletic figure skater in the world today, or...a unique but squandered talent whose career seems destined to stall at also-ran status" if she did not win the Words Championships that season.^[8]

In 2016, reporter Susan Du stated, "The question of why Surya never attained Olympic gold, and the disqualification of her singular skill, is still a matter of controversy. It’s the reason her fame inhabits a cult status rarely enjoyed by even the most decorated skating stars. It’s why people still know her name long after she hung up her competitive skates for the last time in 1998".^[6] Du also stated that one of Bonaly's strengths as a coach later in her career was her ability to remain happy and confident, which Du said was a skill Bonaly "developed over a lifetime of grappling with a world that seemed hell-bent on keeping her out".^[6] Du went on to state that from the beginning of Bonaly's career, her critics disapproved of her style, which combined figure skating and gymnastics, considering it "inelegant, more a show of power than grace", although her "unique tumbling background" also gave Bonaly an advantage. As Du put it, "she could push the boundaries of what was considered physically possible" in figure skating.^[6] Du also stated that Bonaly loved performing and "loved making art that others could watch", adding that Bonaly "craved the crowd, the applause, the couture, and the drama of the world stage".^[6]

Du reported that as Bonaly prepared for her final Olympics in 1998, "bad press followed her". Du also stated that much of the press focused on Bonaly's race, but that she "never fixated on whether the judges shortchanged her at the 1994 World Championships because she was black". Du went on to state, "She believed she had to be objectively exceptional, so that race could not be held against her. Or used as an excuse. She was nevertheless used as a symbol — called a rebel, a diva, a badass, another oft-scrutinized black body. People talked about her muscles, her thighs, as if they were weapons in a cultural war".^[6]

In 2007, Bonaly appeared in a poster made by PETA protesting Canada's seal hunt and the fur trade.^[27] She also was part of a delegation, which included other international celebrities, from the Society for the Protection of Animals, who met with the president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, to address the abolition of bullfighting and to prohibit attendance at bullfighting by children under age 16.^[28][24]

Bonaly was a member of the federal council of the French Federation of Ice Sports^[29] from 2010 to 2014.

In 2010, Bonaly served as the cultural attaché for the Monaco consulate in Las Vegas.^[30] [Search for length of term. 2012^[29]]

Bonaly was the ambassador of "France of Talents and Colors", an association that fought against racism, violence, and discrimination in sport.^[29]

Bonaly became an American citizen in January 2004. She was able to retain her French citizenship.^[24][25]

Bonaly resided in the U.S. since 1997, first in Boston and then starting in 1999, in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she also trained while not touring. She performed as an American citizen for the first time in April 2004, while touring with Champions on Ice.^[24][25] While living in Las Vegas, she met skating coach Peter Biver; by 2016, she in a long-time relationship with him. Also by 2016, she moved to Minnesota to be near Biver and to coach figure skaters.^[6]

Bonaly suffered from chronic pain since she was a gymnast, accepting it as part of elite skating and avoiding treatment for many years. She underwent an operation in 2015 for large non-cancerous cysts along her spinal cord. Her surgeon warned her against performing any more backflips; she retired from skating and became a coach full-time.^[6]

Bonaly became engaged to skating coach Peter Biver on 18 September 2016.

In 1990, the Chicago Tribune reported that Bonaly ate a macrobiotic diet, with no fish or meat and that she had never cut her hair.^[2]

In 2006, the Citizen Times, a newspaper in Asheville, North Carolina, named Bonaly in its list of elite athletes who were vegetarians.^[31]

[Note: 2004 Boston Globe story by Maureen Mullen has some inaccuracies; do some factchecking and see if you could find same info elsewhere.]

• Commander of the Legion of Honour: Knight (2019).^[32]

In 2010, Bonaly met with Princess Caroline of Monaco, who recognized her for her "successful fundraising" for the World Association of Children's Friends (AMADE), a children's charity organization founded by Princess Grace of Monaco.^[30]