Technically, Figure Skating has made a huge jump forward. Most likely more quadruple jumps will be
performed in Beijing than ever before at the Olympic Winter Games, plus for the first time, women will
include quadruple jumps into their performances on Olympic ice. Kamila Valieva (ROC), Anna
Shcherbakova (ROC) and Alexandra Trusova (ROC) all have quads in their arsenal.
At the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, the number of quadruple jumps was higher than
ever. Out of the 24 men in the Free Skating, 16 went for quadruple jumps. They landed a total of 29
quads cleanly, meaning with no negative “Grade Of Execution” (GOE). Six quads were not clean –
underrotated, stumbled, hands down. There was a total number of nine falls on quads.
Four years earlier at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, nine skaters performed a total of 12 clean
quads in the Free Skating and all were quadruple Salchows and toeloops. Kevin Reynolds (CAN) was
the only skater to attempt three quadruple jumps in Sochi, but two were not clean.
Multiple quads performed by Single Skaters in competitions
Meanwhile, Nathan Chen (USA) has landed up to five quadruple jumps in his Free Skating. Others such
as Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN), Vincent Zhou (USA), Boyang Jin (CHN), Shoma Uno (JPN), Daniel Grassl (ITA)
and Trusova (RUS) include multiple and different quads in their programs. Already in PyeongChang
2018 we saw Skaters performing or attempting the quadruple Lutz, flip and loop in addition to quad
toeloop and Salchow.
The only jump that has not been done yet as a quad in competition is the Axel, which in fact has half a
rotation more. For example, a triple Axel has three and a half rotations. Very few Skaters have attempted
a quadruple Axel in competition. Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) is one of them. He went for it at the Japanese
Championships in December 2021, but the jump was not clean and downgraded as the rotation was not
complete. However, Hanyu plans to include the quad Axel in his Free Skating in Beijing.
Hanyu (JPN) is also the first Skater to perform a clean quad loop in competition. Junior Skater Adeliia
Petrosian (ROC), who is not age-eligible for Beijing, has performed a quadruple loop at the 2021 Russian
Championships, becoming the first female Skater to land it in competition.
Shoma Uno (JPN) received credit for the first quad flip. He performed it at the 2016 Team Challenge
Cup. The first woman to land a quad flip is Trusova (ROC), who accomplished the feat at the 2019/20
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.
Trusova, nicknamed “Russian rocket” by her fans, has a lot of firsts under her belt: she was the first
woman to perform not only the quad flip, but also the quadruple toeloop and Lutz in an international
competition, both in 2018. She is also the first to produce multiple quads in one program. However, Miki
Ando (JPN) was the very first woman to land a quadruple jump, the Salchow, in competition at the ISU
Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in December 2002.
Brandon Mroz (USA) is credited for the first quad Lutz, which he did in 2011.
2021 ISU World Figure Skating Champion Shcherbakova (ROC) landed a quad Lutz at a national event
just a few days before Trusova (ROC) did it internationally at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating
Armenia Cup in October 2018.
The quad toeloop was the first jump out of the quads to be performed. Kurt Browning’s (CAN) quad toe
at the 1988 ISU World Figure Skating Championships is the first ratified quad toe. Trusova (ROC) did
hers at the 2018 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
Nathan Chen (USA) holds the record for most quads in one program at a competition. He landed five at
the 2017 US Championships and ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2017 (quad Lutztriple toe, quad flip, quad Salchow, quad toe-double toe-double loop, quad toe).
Trusova (ROC) gets credit for four in an international event. She landed the quad Salchow, quad Lutz,
quad toe-triple toe, quad toe-Euler-triple Salchow at the 2019 Japan Open. She did five at the Russian
Test Skates in September 2021, but that is not an official competition.
Quads in Pair Skating competitions
Pair Skaters have performed quadruple throws. Marina Cherkasova/Sergei Shakhrai (RUS) did the very
first quadruple twist at the 1977 ISU European Figure Skating Championships. Tiffany Vise/Derek Trent
(USA) received credit for the first quadruple throw Salchow at the 2007 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating
in France. Other quad throws have been attempted, but not yet ratified in competition.
