French Figure Skater Surya Bonaly's career truly is the stuff of legend. She is the first female skater ever to perform back flips in competition- the jump remains illegal to this day. Her gymnastic virtuosity set her apart from her contemporaries, and so did her principled defiance at unfair judging. When she handed back her silver medal at the 1994 world championships, the gesture was compared to the raised fists in Mexico City, 1968. Bonaly revolutionized her sport, and yet never considered herself to be a rebel. She quietly did what she thought was right, and let the figure skating world create its own uproar in reaction.

A classic Surya Bonaly skate performance delighted fans, brought entire arenas to their feet, and left judges freaked out, bound by the rules to award her low-seeming scores.