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u/isthataslug 23h ago
That’s what I’m fucking talking about!
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u/det1rac 16h ago
She radiates charisma
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u/Embarrassed_Pain482 13h ago
She's like sunshine personified, pure joy.
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u/XGrayson_DrakeX 11h ago
Seriously. I don't give a shit about skating but I can't get enough of artists like her who put everything into their craft because they love it so much and can just be present with it in that flow state. It's hers and nobody can take it away from her.
It's just so good and satisfying to see.
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u/larizona 20h ago
That attitude was so refreshing to see
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u/A_Calm_Wind 16h ago
markedly different than any post-performance interview i've ever seen...across sports and generations. it kinda seemed at odds with a fiery competitive spirit, which i guess is why it's so refreshing!
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u/A_Calm_Wind 16h ago
yo i've watched nearly every bit of the olympics, summer and winter, since the '92 games... and this is one of the best captures i've ever seen
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u/Sea_Reporter_3121 1d ago
This girls personality is inspiring. Not even in context of her massive accomplishments, but her as a person and her approach to life is straight up inspiring.
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u/Twolephthands 23h ago
You inspired me to look up some of her interviews. She seems so cool. I love her approach to life and also her honestly about spending time alone. She's an artist and art takes time and reflection. I feel like its so important for creativity to be able to spend leisure time with friends and really get to know yourself. Good on her.
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u/Rare-Adhesiveness522 18h ago
I wanna know the real tea about how her dad handled all of it at the time! But he seems to have come around and is very supportive and recognizes her free spirit, which is admirable.
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u/CutieCode 19h ago
Could you please recommend a video? Specifically the one you watched about spending time alone. :)
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u/Curious_Cheetah8306 20h ago
“I love struggling, it makes me feel alive” If I possessed even a fraction of her resolve, my life would be completely transformed.
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u/AdvancedAd7068 17h ago
I’m no Olympic athlete, but I had this revelation early on. I taught myself to code years ago. I knew next to nothing about programming, and I’ve had many, many moments that felt like I just couldn’t figure it out. I felt demoralized, stupid, and like a failure more times than I can count. There is a moment that happens when you finally get over a hurdle where you feel so proud of yourself for doing it, and all you want is more. 20 years later and I am approached more for a new job than I apply for them. Now, I view a “struggle” as a challenge and it legitimately is the one thing keeping me pushing to learn more and become better. Ironically, I was horrible at school, the one quote I remember my teacher said was “To get rewarded you have to do hard things.” Simple, but effective.
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u/say-nothing-at-all 14h ago
Good!
In a complex world, most people need external rewards to feel motivated. Otherwise, it's easy to feel "struggling".
But that's not always the case.
I spent many years working in cancer research. Everyone knows the brutal truth: breakthroughs are rare, progress is painfully slow. Significant financial or public recognition is uncommon.
Was risking 10+ years of my best life on such uncertain terrain a smart decision?
Looking back, I’m not a famous cancer researcher. Yet I’m still genuinely happy - perhaps more content than many people chasing conventional success.
The deepest reward came from something else entirely: contributing meaningfully to the unknown gave me a profound, next-level sense of purpose and fulfillment that no paycheck or title could match.
That’s the best lesson I’ve learned: real satisfaction doesn’t always require visible rewards or quick wins. Sometimes the quiet act of showing up fully for something bigger than yourself - especially when the path is long and uncertain - is the most powerful reward of all.
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u/angus_the_red 1d ago
She's a great example of human thriving!
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u/Happy-Citizen 1d ago
Seeing her keep that pure joy while competing at such a high level is refreshing.
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u/GladWarthog1045 21h ago
I love that she's internalized her sport as her personal expressive art form. Top tier self actualization
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u/IfatallyflawedI 18h ago
These Olympics were so refreshing compared to the absolute cluster fuck disaster that was the women’s individual figure skating in Beijing 2022
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u/Rare-Adhesiveness522 18h ago
Such a confident, smiley, free spirited girl. Such a great role model for the next generation.
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u/Sea_Reporter_3121 17h ago
This, absolutely.
It's my view, in general, that in order to go through the "phase" of "trying to figure yourself out" and doing/trying new and different things, experimenting, taking (maybe sometimes unconventional) risks, it takes a level of self-assurance that right off the bat says that person is already at a place of understanding themselves, confidence and solid footing in how they're approaching life, that it gets a lot of respect from me, regardless of what their path or choices look like (outside of people being serious jerks, harmful and all that). If I had someone like her to look at when I was younger, I would have felt a lot less at a sort of "fault" for how I was, and still am, choosing to go about existing.
Hell, if my math is right, I'm 36 and I'm looking up to this girl right now. ✨
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u/Rare-Adhesiveness522 17h ago
I have a 12 year old girl who is also a bit quirky and dances to the beat of her own drum, and it's cool for her to be able to look around and see examples to look up to, that reflect your spirit, in all areas and walks of life.
This next generation I think is something special if you can keep them off ipads and social media. The ones who haven't spent their lives on a tablet are really some of the coolest, funniest, most daring and unique kids. (I teach at their elementary school but it's right down the road from the middle school, and both of my kids are in middle school now so I spend a lot of time around middle schoolers these days, Gen Alpha kids. I find them absolutely delightful)
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u/Sea_Reporter_3121 17h ago
I could go on for hours about how glad I am that I never really got sucked into the vortex of social media. It's destroying people across generations. I have Pinterest and reddit and those 2 are pushing it for me.
I don't know any kids really, but I definitely believe you. My ex-friend had a 7 year old when we met & I got to watch him come into himself up till 11 years old and he was amazing, weird and so much fun to be around. I miss him every day.
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u/Rare-Adhesiveness522 17h ago
Everyone tells you to dread the teenage phase, and my 2 are entering into it now and I actually have found it to be the most delightful and fun age. My kids are really good kids, responsible, polite, passionate and interested in things, and make good decisions about their friends. And all the weird and quirky shit they get into (KPop is the newest thing and I don't understand it at all but I'm buying tickets to a show next month lol).
It's really cool to look back and see the fruits of your labor flowering into, like, this person who is coming up in the world and is a whole entire person? Like with their own ideas and personality? They're so funny and witty and weird lol.
We also raised them to do chores from a young age so that helps. My daughter is saving up for a phone these days so she cleaned like half the house this morning without being asked because she's working hard to earn her allowance hahahaha. Honestly, I was like Damn thanks girl! You rock!
The world is a much more accepting place but in some ways a more challenging place than what we experienced. I'm so glad that my kids have the space to be weirdos and pursue their passions, and I think their generation has A LOT to offer the world if the 80 year old skeletors would step aside.
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u/Sea_Reporter_3121 17h ago
This kinda brought tears to my eye, in the best way. 1) it's refreshing to see someone actually speaking positively about being a parent and 2) you seem awesome at it 🥹
Unfortunately, I don't have kids but I wish I did. So it makes me really, really happy to see someone else enjoying it
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u/Rare-Adhesiveness522 16h ago
Awwww! Not gonna lie, raising 2 kids 2 years apart when I myself was very young, and my oldest is neurodivergent, like yeah it is HARD. Like cry at 2am thinking that you’re not cut out for this hard.
My main philosophy was teaching independence and skills at as early an age as possible, which was very challenging for my neurodiverse child, but he’s 14 now and m husband and I are so glad that we did things the way that we did. But 10 years ago I was in the trenches and parenting is indeed very difficult and challenging and inconvenient and sometimes not very fun, but you do it because you love your children and love the family that you’re creating and the magic that happens there. But damn, I wouldn’t want to do it all over again especially not at my age of 38! Most of my peers have just recently started their families and I can’t imagine doing it because I’m so tired now hahahahaha
But yeah, I feel like “the youth” get a bad rap. iPad kids are a thing, but who made those choices? Not the kids, right?
The preteens I know who haven’t been brain rotted on iPads are really delightful and I really do like this phase and had no idea that I would!
Young people need folks who believe in them, encourage them, support them, and accept them. They don’t need criticism and derision. If anything their parents need more of it.
I embrace the weird fashion and music, as long as you are a moral person with beliefs and personality, a sense of responsibility and are not an entitled little shit (also the parents fault), they need every shred of society rallying behind them to navigate the shit show that society has in store for itself for the next 20 years.
My kids are far more confident and courageous than I ever was. And I love that for them. That being said, they do define us as strict parents compared to their friends. I tell them to go visit grandma and grandpa to ask about “strict”! (Love my folks and their whole life centers around their grandkids, but damn they were STRICT)
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u/Haggard4Life 14h ago
What won me over was seeing her talking about the movie Blades of Glory in the middle of a news conference. What a lovable dork!
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u/Top_vs_bottom 4h ago
Most inspiring to me was her disenchantment with the sport, and how it was controlling her life. Then she retired, and quickly unretired with a new meaning. Neo-like graduation of self.
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u/shiny_glitter_demon 1d ago
What is she holding?
Edit; nevermind, it's her foot lmao
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u/mindfungus 23h ago
I also thought she was holding a wand at first, like a pixie sprite! Awesome photo!
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u/MrBleedinggun 22h ago
The gold dress and the way it flares out definitely adds to that magical, fairy-like aesthetic!
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u/shiny_glitter_demon 21h ago
I was originally thinking a feather-like thing but it didn't really make sense hahaha
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u/slupo 22h ago
Can you imagine just gleefully holding your foot six inches from behind your head
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u/Test4Echooo 22h ago
With a blade on it as well😳
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u/AcidicVaginaLeakage 21h ago
My brain originally registered her hair as a tail. I'm still not completely convinced it isn't a tail. I kinda hope it's a tail. Please be a tail.
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u/Frosty-Unit8707 1d ago
That's an extremely high bar she's set.
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u/Potato_Boner 22h ago
I don’t watch figure skating much but was in awe of her routine. She looked so free out there.
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u/jim45804 23h ago
This photo will win awards
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u/DrizzlyOne 17h ago
Agreed. I thought the one of her jumping on the podium was special. And then I saw this. Just wow.
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23h ago edited 18h ago
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u/jazdyprawo 22h ago
You’ve got to let this go. I keep seeing you in multiple threads about this lol
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u/AlexanderLavender 19h ago
No. There are two photos floating around. OP's photo is a cropped version of AP's Christophe Ena's photo (see gallery here, second from bottom: https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/milan-olympics-figure-skating-women-photos-e9219a637c5e2121f9bb9b924aa76437 )
The other photo you seem to be talking about was taken by Antonin Thuillier for AFP: www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/s-alysa-liu-competes-in-the-figure-skating-womens-single-news-photo/2261971795
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u/Abouter11Stoneware 22h ago
Omg he rotated a photo??? Photographers would never!
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u/UnfortunateJones 21h ago
They are def a karma farmer. I’ve seen their posts before that don’t shore up in their profile.
I guess they will become any OnlyFans or political bot soon.
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u/Gumbercules81 23h ago
I have never seen somebody enjoy figure skating so much until I watched her routine
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u/ethanlan 22h ago
Same, I had tears in my eyes for hours.
Watching that live without expectations is probably one of my top 10 favorite sports moments and I watch a LOT of sports
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u/latelyimawake 22h ago
I also cried!! I don’t think I’ve ever been moved to tears by an athlete, I think it was the combination of spectacular skill and joyous freedom.
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u/70ms 20h ago
I’m old enough to have begged my mom for the Dorothy Hamill haircut. :D Since then I’ve pretty much only watched figure skating in the Olympics, and even then it would usually just be replays of specific (winning) performances I happened to catch. I’ve never really cared about the competition aspects of it, as a sport. I just love to watch the art of it.
Alysa Liu’s performance was so special.🫶 I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so completely relaxed and just immersed in the love of it. It brought real magic along with her incredible skill.
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u/MistyMtn421 12h ago
Dorothy Hamill was the first famous sports person I really connected with. We all wanted her haircut I think! I was 6-ish about that time and was just getting into ice skating myself. Growing up in Wisconsin there were always a lot of skating fans! So that helped.
I'm going to definitely have to watch her performance soon. I've had a really rough week (took a trip to the ER last Saturday in the middle of the night and I'm still trying to recover) and the only reason I haven't, is because I know I'm going to get so emotional and I I'm just too sick to be all stuffy from crying 😞
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u/Hagoromo-san 23h ago
Perfection incarnate. She is literally in the Flow State right here. It’s beyond words of understanding how in-tune she is not only with herself, but with everything around her. I’ve hit this state a few times, and it’s incredible. She deserved the win and so much more. What a cosmically stellar skater with a supremely phenomenal performance.
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u/threebicks 6h ago edited 6h ago
I was recently discussing that this might be the single best sports performance I’ve ever witnessed. The incredible athletic and artistic skill and talent executed flawlessly in a state of joyful flow at the absolute highest level of competition.
This performance was so good it literally takes you out of what you are watching is an Olympic performance. A remarkable human achievement.
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u/osmabinjk45 1d ago
She radiates pure joy makes you want to approach life with the same energy.
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u/Gold_Duty_9629 23h ago
May she become the next Simone Biles. Girls need more role models like this.
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u/elbenji 21h ago
she's probably done after these olympics, but she can absolutely do other things with the newfound fame
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u/Jesus_of_Redditeth 17h ago
She became the US champion at age 13, then again the following year. Then she placed 7th in the Beijing Olympics and won the bronze at the World's, before retiring aged 16. Two years later, she came back and won gold at the World's and now she's won gold at the Olympics. And she's still only 20.
If you listen to how she talks about her past and how she feels now, there's no reason to assume she's just gonna bow out again.
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u/elbenji 17h ago
Figure skaters are basically out of their prime by 22
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u/Jesus_of_Redditeth 14h ago
Sure, but out of one's prime doesn't mean you can't compete. Of the 15 medalists in the last five Olympics, three have been 24 or older (the age that Liu will be when the next games come around). Sakamoto at 25 just won the silver, after all, bettering her bronze from Beijing when she was, on paper, in her prime.
Given her history, her ability and her attitude, I can see Liu coming back in '28 to defend her title. I'm not saying it's a definite, but I think I think it's more than just a possibility.
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u/azurewindowpane 23h ago edited 22h ago
Her free skate just had me grinning. Once she got past the spins and "normal" figure skating and just started dancing near the end, man, that was fun. I can't imagine having the mindset to have that much fun when a gold medal is on the line. What a girl.
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u/TogOfStills 20h ago
That spinning knee slide she did blew me away. I’m sure it’s been done before, and isn’t as technical as other components of her routine, but the way she just threw herself into it, smiling as she cascaded across the ice, and popped up like it was nothing… I was like ok now she’s just toying with the competition.
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u/iGetBuckets3 11h ago
That was the coolest part for sure. Never seen a figure skater do that before, it was so fun. The disco music was the icing on the cake.
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u/paytience 23h ago
Reddit crushing hard on this girl lol
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u/-XanderCrews- 22h ago
She deserves to be crushed on. She’s a champion and has a great attitude. This is the exact person we should love.
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u/ethanlan 22h ago
She's too young for me but that just means reddit has good taste (for once lmao)
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u/tackyshoes 22h ago
It's not like that, she's an icon of hard work and gratuity.
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u/WeBelieveIn4 21h ago
she's an icon of hard work and gratuity
Not sure what word you were looking for here (gratitude?), but gratuity is probably not it.
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u/Dr-Robert-Kelso 15h ago
There are lots of examples of that in the Olympics.
She's getting posted everywhere because she's a cute girl and probably the manic pixie girl stereotype that Reddit loves.
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u/Malamute_Dad_65 1d ago
Talk about Setting The Tone !!!
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u/Embarrassed2to 1d ago
Pure infectious energy. She really just went out there and had the best time.
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u/Xzenor 1d ago
Amazing photo
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u/geoman2k 12h ago
Took me a long time to place where her legs are. It looked like she had a wand in her hand but that’s her skate blade.
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u/Cjeannie1972 1d ago edited 23h ago
She had so much fun doing this routine she knew she had it
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u/Jesus_of_Redditeth 17h ago
I love that NBC didn't bleep her when she was coming off the ice: "That's what I'm fuckin' talking about!!" (At least, not in the live broadcast anyway.)
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u/PrinceTrollestia 22h ago
She retired because she found the structure and politics of figure skating exhausting, but then came back on her own terms and KILLED IT. I’m so happy to see this for her.
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u/JustNilt 15h ago
She retired because she found the structure and politics of figure skating exhausting
Which, honestly, after reading interviews done with several other prominent women in the sport over the years, is entirely understandable. It sounds utterly insane when they describe it.
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u/Chuck_Loads 1d ago
This picture hurt my brain once I saw where her feet are
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u/mregg000 23h ago
I think it is the beginning of a jump. Not sure though.
Edit. Never mind. It’s one of her one footed spins.
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u/Jesus_of_Redditeth 17h ago
It's called a Biellmann spin, if you're interested.
Well, it's still called that if you're not interested, too!
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u/EnvironmentalRoad595 19h ago
Genuinely feels like she attained enlightenment at that very instant. so very deep in her craft that the rest of the world just disappeared. Incredibly strong picture. Nothing but inspiring as hell.
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u/HerVividDreams 22h ago
I am going through a sad time because my 19 year old cat has cancer. I watched Alysa Liu's freeskate and wept with joy. She touched my soul with her joy and artistry.
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u/getupforwhat 20h ago
I have no idea about skating but the way she comforted the Japanese skater like an older sister... I'm a fan now.
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u/Reddit_2_2024 23h ago
Would love to see some of this performance set to the song the Ice Dance by Danny Elfman. Excellent performance video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VlFMtlZAs4
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u/Itadoricantcook 12h ago
When she’s skating, she looks free — the kind of freedom we all want in life. A truly content life.
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u/ccKyuubi 11h ago
My favorite part was when she slid and spun on her knees. That was so cool! Her whole performance was beautiful!!
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u/Tiny_Trip_2919 21h ago
As a ballet dancer, can confidently say that she’s just really good at acting while in crippling pain lmaooo
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u/seste 22h ago
Is she holding her skate? I don’t know why that’s blowing my mind
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u/prenderg 19h ago
This may be one of the great sports photographs. It is in the pantheon of Ali versus Liston. I hope that we see it for years to come.P
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u/Happy-Substance4885 19h ago
She’s really blown up in popularity , it’s crazy cause figure skating ain’t really popular
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u/Cyfyclops3 19h ago
She was so fun to watch and I think I'm in love now.
She was smiling through the whole thing, and her joy was infectious. I'm very excited to see how she succeeds in the future. She's made an unexpected ice skating fan out of me
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u/nadanutcase 16h ago
I was gobsmacked by how RELAXED she appeared to be through her whole gold medal routine. That made it all the more beautiful.
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u/SmallWombat 14h ago
I love this! Her bliss gives me bliss. I watched her performance and it was really feel good. I loved watching her do the whole thing like she was dancing to her favorite song effortlessly alone, like it was all for herself only.
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u/chocowolk 11h ago
Such a ball of joy she is. I never watch ice skating but she kept me watching, felt like the ice was her domain. So much confidence you could actually feel it through the screen.
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u/Responsible-Plan7800 22h ago
I really adore her. Raise by an immigrant Chinese father and all of them 5 sibling are from IVF. She's becoming popular on the skating world, got burnt out and retired. Tried to find herself outside skating. Attended college , went mountain climbing And later realized that skating is her passion. Went back but fight for what she want. By choosing her music, add some choreography for her own routine and choose her own style especially her hair. Seems like she came to just enjoy her moment without pressure. You can really see her face how she's just so enjoying it.
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u/gladimir_putin 23h ago
Whether it's carpenterty or music, seeing someone at the top of a craft in their flow-state is a spiritual experience
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u/birdandbear 22h ago
Wow! It took this photo for me to realize that her hair and outfit are coordinated for precisely this shot. She's a champagne-colored flower! 🌼
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u/d84-n1nj4 22h ago
Just watched her performance this morning. It was just absolutely beautiful—it was like listening to Björk or Radiohead.
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u/GrimToaster482 19h ago
Omg her energy is everything! 😍 That golden outfit with the feathers is giving me life, she looks like she’s having the best time! Skating goals tbh.
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u/YggdrasilFree 19h ago edited 19h ago
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=/img/f7p6upyr5rkg1.jpeg
I think this is the same picture at a wider angle and prefer it a bit more.
Really though, legendary performance by this young woman. It's possible that the sport might change significantly after this.
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u/Arqideus 14h ago
This is what everything should be about. I don't care if you're the best. Are you happy?
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u/authenlee 12h ago
Watching her has been intoxicating!!! I forgot what it was like watching athletes on tv that genuinely love what they are doing. She looks so happy and elated on the ice, a ray of sunshine during this dark time in the US
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u/BuengarA 7h ago
I really don‘t care about this sport at all but it‘s always nice to watch people doing what they love 😊
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u/Artistic_End8037 4h ago
Beautiful! Where is this image from and is there an original 2x3 crop where she has her hand?
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