The key word is “joy.”
Two days after Team USA figure skater Alysa Liu won a gold medal with her free skate performance — the country’s first women’s singles gold in figure skating since Sarah Hughes’ in 2002 — she was back for one last skate around the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Liu joined her figure skating teammates Amber Glenn, Ilia Malinin, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, and Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea to perform one final time in the February 21, 2026 Exhibition Gala. Figure skating fans look forward to the event as much as the athletes do, because it’s pure fun.
At the exhibition, skaters aren’t hemmed in by the technical rules of Olympic competition. They can wear what they want (Kazakhstani figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov dressed as a panda) and choose extra-fun music. Look no further than the Georgian pair skaters’ number to The Immortals’ “Mortal Kombat” theme for evidence of the latter.
While Liu, Malinin, and Glenn joined their teammates for a group skate during the event, all three also delivered gorgeous, lighter-than-air solo skates.
What song did Alysa Liu skate to in the figure skating Exhibition Gala?
Liu, 20, skated to “Stateside” by PinkPantheress featuring Zara Larsson.
“Incredible work my good sis,” PinkPantheress wrote in an Instagram story sharing Liu’s skate, also writing “UGH SHE’S SO FAB” on X (formerly Twitter).
In a sparkling blue dress and her signature striped hair, Liu skated flawlessly and busted out dance moves fit for, well, a PinkPantheress concert.
Liu’s gold-winning skate was also a major musical moment. She performed in a sparkling gold dress to Donna Summer’s 1978 rendition of “MacArthur Park,” produced by Italian disco legend Giorgio Moroder. Liu brought the song to new audiences with her Milan Cortina moment, and Forbes reports that the song saw a 1292 percent increase in Spotify streams in the 48 hours following her routine.
Amber Glenn, who missed a spot on the podium due to a technical error during her free skate, also looked buoyantly happy during her own Exhibition Gala turn. She performed to Lady Gaga’s version of “That’s Life,” first popularized by Frank Sinatra, and looked wholly unfettered by pressure and just happy to be on the ice.
