When A Celebration Became The Moment Everyone Replayed At Milano Cortina 2026
When Alysa Liu and Ilia Malinin shared the ice during the 2026 Winter Olympics gala, the expectation was something relaxed and celebratory — a final bow, a joyful send-off. Instead, it became the moment viewers kept returning to, replaying again and again.
MILAN, Feb 22 – Alysa Liu capped a stunning comeback by capturing the women’s gold medal, while her U.S. teammate Ilia Malinin endured one of the most surprising setbacks of the Olympic figure skating competition.
Liu, who stepped away from competitive skating at just 16 following the 2022 Beijing Games due to burnout, returned two years later noticeably stronger, more composed, and creatively renewed.
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The Northern California native locked up the title with a thrilling free skate that featured seven clean triple jumps, punctuating the performance by pointing skyward as a sold-out arena rose in unison.
Kaori Sakamoto settled for silver in her final Olympic appearance, while Japan showcased its future with strong performances from 17-year-old Ami Nakai, who earned bronze, and 20-year-old Mone Chiba, who finished fourth in her Olympic debut.
MALININ’S MISS
Malinin’s free skate told a very different story from Liu’s triumphant night.
Fans arrived expecting a coronation for the two-time world champion who has redefined the sport with his unmatched jumping ability, but the evening took an unexpected turn.
Holding a comfortable lead entering the free skate, the trouble began when his planned quadruple Axel — a jump no other skater has landed in competition — reduced to a single. Two falls followed, sending Malinin tumbling to eighth place.
“I blew it,” he admitted moments after leaving the ice.
Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov seized the opportunity to claim the men’s gold, briefly appearing stunned as the final results confirmed the upset.
Malinin, 21, later cited mental fatigue and revealed he received words of encouragement from American gymnast Simone Biles, who was in attendance during the free skate.
Biles famously battled the “twisties” after the Tokyo Olympics before reclaiming her dominance at the 2024 Paris Games — a redemptive path Malinin now hopes to echo as he looks toward the next Winter Games in four years.
Despite the disappointment, Malinin carried himself with composure, cheering on teammates and delivering an emotionally charged closing-gala performance that felt like a reflection on life under relentless scrutiny.
ICE DANCE STUNNER
Ice dance delivered its own surprise, as new French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron edged out U.S. veterans and three-time world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates to claim gold.
In pairs skating, Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara produced a career-defining free skate, charging from behind to secure the nation’s first Olympic gold in the discipline with a dramatic Gladiator-themed program.
The 10-day competition at the Milano Ice Skating Arena began with Liu and Malinin helping the United States narrowly defeat Japan for a second consecutive Olympic team gold.
It closed with Malinin’s gala appearance, where his signature backflip drew a standing ovation that felt as much like appreciation as acknowledgment of the weight he carried throughout the week.
“I feel like this gala has been so helpful to overcome the stress of everything that happened to me over the last week,” he wrote afterward. “Glad I am able to express myself in such a poetic way.”
