After winning the U.S. its first Olympic gold medal in figure skating since 2002 on Thursday, Alysa Liu returned to the ice on Saturday (February 21) to defend a different title: World’s Coolest PinkPantheress Fan. At the 2026 Olympic Exhibition Gala in Milan, Liu debuted a new routine set to the pop star’s “Stateside” remix with Zara Larsson (who, watching the number on TikTok, remarked: “You know it’s good when the commentators are quiet.”) Check out Liu’s full performance below.
Liu and PinkPantheress’ mutual admiration is well-documented. When Pitchfork asked her to share her Perfect 10 earlier this month, she chose Pink’s 2023 album Heaven Knows, noting: “It gets me hyped up, and it gets me in the zone…it’s just very inspiring.” Later, Pink replied with her own message. “You are so inspiring and when I was younger I was obsessed with figure skaters so you are literally living my dream,” she wrote Liu. “Thank you so much for the love.”
Liu first teased her “Stateside” routine earlier this week, after reporter Raymond Braun shared Pink’s message of support with her. Liu responded by calling Pink her favorite artist, and confirming that if she performed at the Olympic Gala, she would skate to the “Stateside” remix. It’s not the first time the athlete, who rocks a smiley piercing and halo hair, has brought her personal taste to a major stage—she set her gold-medal-winning free skate program to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park Suite,” and her short program to Laufey’s “Promise.”
The Larsson-assisted “Stateside” remix appeared on Pink’s 2025 album Fancy Some More? The record gathered peers (Jade, Oklou, Ravyn Lenae, Nia Archives) and influences (Sugababes, Basement Jaxx, Kylie Minogue) alike to remix the British artist’s sophomore album Fancy That.