Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and get behind-the-scenes access and unrivalled insightJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterOn a day which many expected to be dominated by one teenager, it was a different, former teen star with a very different story who took centre stage, winning Olympic gold with a dazzling performance at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.Self-styled ‘alt girl’ Alysa Liu – a charismatic former teen star who retired from the sport after burning out before rediscovering her love of skating and returning to competition – set the stadium alight with her distinctive loose, free-flowing style and glitzy Donna Summer routine. Team gold medallist Ilia Malinin, another to bear the weight of expectation, was among those to cheer on his fellow world champion, who jumped for joy and beamed as she left the ice. The 20-year-old set a season’s best of 150.20 points – nearly four points clear of her previous best – to lay down a marker to the final two skaters to go. Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan missed a major combination, which cost her significant points in an otherwise powerful and elegant routine to an Edith Piaf medley.The 25-year-old, competing in her final Olympics before retirement, waved to the crowd but was in tears as she entered the aptly named kiss and cry, knowing it wasn’t enough for gold. Sakamoto finished just shy of two points behind Liu, while 17-year-old compatriot Ami Nakai, competing in her first Olympic Games, produced a peerless short programme and nearly matched that by finishing third overall on Thursday. The teenager beamed as she took to the ice and the smile rarely left her face as she floated through a lyrical and beautifully executed programme – barring one underrotated jump – to take bronze. She looked on the verge of tears of joy as Liu hugged her when her final score came in. “I love you both,” Liu said, the picture of happiness.Liu has no triple axel and no quad jump in this routine, but her sheer vivacity and joy of skating shone through in a performance as glittering as her sparkling gold dress.It was a far cry from the world of Russian teenager Adeliia Petrosian, who had been the one to dominate the build-up to this Olympic Games. But the 18-year-old finished well down in sixth overall.open image in galleryLiu embraced bronze medallist Ami Nakai of Japan (Getty Images)Petrosian’s very presence…
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2026-02-20 00:03:16
