Alysa Liu had the opportunity to cherish skating on the same Olympic ice where she won two gold medals one more time. Ilia Malinin had the chance to replace some disappointing memories with much better ones.
The two Americans were among more than 40 Olympic figure skaters who took part in the traditional exhibition gala on Saturday night, which not only serves to wrap up the program but to celebrate the entire sport.
Malinin performed to Fear by American rapper NF, a routine he had trailed in a social media post earlier this week in which he referenced the “inevitable crash” that comes when people are under immense pressure.
The 21-year-old, who had helped the US to gold in the team event, was the heavy favorite to also win the men’s gold medal, especially after a strong short program. But Malinin struggled so mightily in his free skate last Friday that he failed to make the podium at all, and he later acknowledged that the weighty expectations had caused him to buckle.
Fear is a raw song about mental health struggles and the feeling of losing control. During Saturday’s routine Malinin, dressed in a grey hoodie and frayed jeans, pretended to scroll through his phone. He flinched under imaginary flashbulbs, crouched down and pulled his hood over his head and batted away jarring noises meant to represent social media criticism.
He also showcased his undoubted talent. He did one quadruple jump and then unleashed his trademark backflip with a one-footed landing that had the crowd on its feet roaring with what felt like both an appreciation of his skill and an acknowledgement of the weight he had carried. In a powerful ending, he pretended to put on headphones, to immediate silence.
As tradition dictates, the gold medalists went last in the program. Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov, who won gold in the men’s competition, performed a light-hearted routine dressed as Kung-Fu Panda.
Liu went last of all. The 20-year-old Californian, who had been so burned out by skating after the 2022 Beijing Games that she had walked away from her sport, completed a remarkable comeback by winning team and individual gold. On Saturday, she performed a joyful routine to Stateside by Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress
The opening act featured former Italian figure skater Carolina Kostner, who won a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Games. She performed a duet with a 3D projection that was meant to describe the journey of athletes, beginning with their first steps in their sport to the point at which “talent finds its home, merging with the skater,” and they ultimately “draw the very best from it.”
Amber Glenn, who helped the US defend its Olympic team gold medal, performed to That’s Life by Lady Gaga. The lyrics could hardly have been more fitting for the three-time and reigning national champion, who bounced back from a major mistake in her short program that cost her a shot at an individual medal by laying down one of the best free skates of her career.
