Top from left to right: Surya Bonaly (FRA), Sasha Cohen (USA), Miki Ando (JPN), and Alexandra Trusova (RUS) Bottom from left to right: Anna Shcherbakova (RUS), Elizabet Tursynbaeva (KAZ), Kamila Valieva (RUS), and Alysa Liu (USA).
It was three-time world silver medalist Surya Bonaly of France who began attempting a quadruple jump several times in figure skating competition between 1990 and 1996. The figure skater, who had a late start in competitive the competitive field, either fell or was unable to complete the rotations.
A few years later, 2006 Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen of the U.S. landed a quad Salchow during her warm-up at 2001 Skate America, but then aborted the attempt during the long program. Miki Ando of Japan, a two-time World champion, became the first lady to land a quadruple jump (Salchow) of any kind in competition at the 2002–03 Junior Grand Prix Final in The Hague. While the jump was ratified by the International Skating Union (ISU), video replays show that the jump may have been under-rotated.
It would be over a decade before any further quad jump attempts were made by ladies in competition. Fast-forward to the 2017-18 season, enter Russia’s Alexandra Trusova. At the 2018 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, she became the first lady to land a quadruple toeloop. She also landed a quad Salchow in the same program, and in doing so, became the first lady to land two quadruple jumps in the same program. The following season, Trusova landed the first quad Lutz by a lady in international competition at a JGP event in Yerevan, Armenia. Last season, she became the first lady to land a quad flip at the 2019-20 ISU Grand Prix Final.
Russia’s Anna Shcherbakova, who broke her leg doing a triple loop in practice in the summer of 2017, landed two quad Lutzes at a domestic competition (Stage II of the Cup of Russia) the following season. She became the first lady to land a quad Lutz in a senior international competition at 2019 Lombardia Trophy.
Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazakhstan became the first senior lady to successfully landed a quad Salchow in international competition at the 2019 World Figure Skating Championships.
Last season, Russia’s Kamila Valieva landed a quad toe loop at 2019 JGP Courchevel and USA’s Alysa Liu landed a quad Lutz at 2019 JGP Lake Placid.
This season, 13-year-old Sofia Akatieva of Russia landed two quad toeloops, one in combination with a double toe, at the Stage IV Cup of Russia in Kazan.
While one can find, analyze, and critique landings and edges in various videos on the internet, it doesn’t detract from the fact that ladies’ figure skating, in general, has come a very long way. Each generation brings new talent to the ice, pushing the boundaries further and further.
Which ladies do you feel have the best quad jumps? Who else has joined these ranks? Discuss “Ladies and the Quad” in the GS Forum!
