Two days after winning Olympic gold, Alysa Liu stepped back onto the ice — not to defend a title, not to chase scores, but to celebrate.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics exhibition gala inside the roaring Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 21, Liu didn’t simply perform.
She soared.
A Champion, Unburdened
The exhibition gala, a beloved Olympic tradition, invites medalists and standout skaters to perform one final time — free from judges, free from rankings, free from pressure.
For Liu, that freedom felt electric.
Skating to “Stateside” by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, the 20-year-old delivered a performance bursting with personality. Her footwork was sharp and playful, carving confident lines into the ice. Her arms cut through the air with fearless energy. Every movement felt lighter — as if gravity itself had decided to step aside.
Just 48 hours earlier, she had carried the weight of expectation and the ghosts of her shocking teenage retirement. Her comeback had been questioned. Her gold medal far from guaranteed.
Now, she skated like someone who had nothing left to prove.
From Retirement to Reign
Liu famously stepped away from skating in 2022, burned out by the sport she once dominated as a prodigy. When she returned in 2024, it was on her own terms — with a renewed sense of joy and ownership.
That independence has become her signature.
“I’m just doing me,” she has said — a mindset reflected not only in her programs but in her bold personal style and unapologetic confidence. Whether fans label her a role model or not, she remains authentically herself.
And in Milan, that authenticity glittered brighter than gold.
A Final Bow in Milan
Earlier in the evening, Liu joined fellow Team USA skaters — including Ilia Malinin and Amber Glenn — for a spirited group number. But it was her solo that brought the crowd to its feet.
This wasn’t a victory lap.
It was a declaration.
From prodigy to pause to Olympic queen, Alysa Liu rewrote her story in full view of the world. The crowd didn’t just rise for a champion — they rose for a young woman who reclaimed her love for the sport and turned doubt into fuel.
Gold was the medal.
Freedom was the masterpiece.
