Ilia Malinin was captured looking completely stunned while watching Alysa Liu deliver a gold-medal-winning performance. His visible shock and awe highlighted the extraordinary technical and artistic level she achieved on the ice. This viral moment of one skating phenom marvelling at another has quickly become a highlight of the competition.

Before the Milano Cortina Games began, Ilia Malinin was favored to be the U.S. figure skating gold medalist for the men with Alysa Liu a dark horse for the women. While the “Quad God” Malinin failed in his biggest moment, Liu put on the performance of her life to become an Olympic champion.

The 21-year-old Malinin was expected to win gold after building what seemed like an insurmountable lead after the short program. He’d unfortunately fall twice, and with it his dreams of not only an Olympic gold, but a medal at all in the individual event.

Both Malinin and Liu did team up for a gold medal in the combined team skate earlier in the Winter Olympics.

But Friday was all about Liu’s performance in that bold gold dress, delivering the first women’s Team USA gold in figure skating since 2002 with Sarah Hughes did it in Salt Lake City.

The “Quad God” is blown away by Liu’s performance

That performance left Malinin in awe as he stuck around and showed face for his fellow Olympian after his own disaster.

Malinin no doubt wished he had a performance like that, but it was a proud moment for USA figure skating.

Liu was the youngest national champion ever at age 13 in 2019, but retired shortly after competing in the 2022 Beijing Olympics at 16. She returned to competitive figure skating in March of 2024.

Now, the 20-year-old psychology student at UCLA is an Olympic figure skating champion. Something Malinin hopes to be in four more years in France.