Alysa Liu made waves during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday. The United States figure skater was in attendance with the rest of the Team USA contingent as this year’s Winter Games officially came to a close.
Just as the camera showed Liu on the broadcast, the 20-year-old was seen yawning during the IOC President’s closing remarks. The fans on social media were very forgiving of Liu’s candid moment. The skating sensation has been left exhausted not only by the competition, but also by all the media interviews and public appearances she’s had to make.
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Liu made history in the Games after winning her second gold medal. She turned in an awe-inspiring performance in the free skate to finish in first place. The 2025 World Skating champion became the first female American figure skater to win an individual gold since 2002.
Finishing second behind Liu was Japanese skiing icon Kaori Sakamoto. Shortly after Liu’s victory was confirmed, she was seen consoling a visibly emotional Sakamoto, who previously announced her retirement after this season.
Once they were on the podium, it was Sakamoto’s turn to give a kind gesture to Liu. In a now-viral video, the Japanese veteran is seen helping her American counterpart fix the plushies on her medal.
As of writing, the above video posted on Instagram has amassed over 3 million views.
It has become tradition at the Olympics to give winners plush toys along with their medals. Sakamoto made sure that Liu wore her plushies properly in an endearing moment between competitors.
This just goes to show how camaraderie transcends the competition at the grandest stage of the Olympics. These athletes train extremely hard to come out on top, but they never forget to support their competitors along the way.