Tara Lipinski Reveals What the 2026 Winter Olympics Were Really Like Off the Ice (Exclusive)
The Olympic champion reflects on Milan, Alysa Liu, skating and her Dairy Queen partnership
Key Takeaways
- Tara Lipinski reflects on the highs and lows of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
- The skating icon says Alysa Liu inspired millions with her comeback.
- Tara Lipinski reveals why she's happy to leave competition behind.
Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski is opening up about her time at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. In a recent conversation with Woman’s World to promote her role in Dairy Queen’s Miracle Treat Day, the figure skater revealed what really happened on and off the ice at this year’s games. She also revealed what sport she wished she could have seen live and if she will ever head back to the ice. To discover what she had to say, keep scrolling!
Tara Lipinski opens up about the 2026 Winter Olympic Games
During the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Lipinski served as an NBC figure skating analyst and co-hosted the closing ceremonies with sports commentator Terry Gannon and retired figure skater Johnny Weir. This opportunity came after years of previous hosting experience as well as one Olympic gold medal at the 1998 Winter Games, and was quite enjoyable given that Team USA had quite a few fan favorite skaters.
“It was so fun. Johnny and I had been to so many Olympics together at this point and we had the best time,” Lipinski says. “Obviously there were some ups and downs in figure skating with Ilia Malinin and Amber Glenn, but everyone’s resilience showed throughout the competition inspired millions at home watching. And then the cherry on top is watching Alyssa Liu really bring skating into the forefront again and giving it this freshness, because she’s so genuine, authentic and true to herself and her journey is absolutely incredible. To leave the sport and come back and now be an Olympic champion it was a really cool moment to comment.”
Aside from figure skating, Lipinski said that there wasn’t a ton of time for her to go and explore the Olympic village or to see any other sports.
“We actually don’t get tickets to other sports. We just have our passes for NBC for figure skating,” she explains, before sharing her favorite winter sports. “Curling is always fun. It’s always a big hidden hit for people to go to because it’s rowdy and fun, and people are really into it. I love hockey and snowboarding. As a winter Olympian, I am biased, but we didn’t really have that much time to see any of them.”
Tara Lipinski reveals what she’s doing now
After returning home from Milan, Lipinski took some time to relax before teaming up with Dairy Queen (DQ) for their annual Miracle Treat Day, which is when the dessert company donates $1 or more from every Blizzard purchase to Children’s Miracle Network.
“I’m such a huge Dairy Queen fan myself, and I’ve always been. Blizzard treats are top of my list, and when I moved to LA, I traveled far distances to get them. It even played a part in my husband and I dating. In the first few dates, he learned my love of them—specifically the Choco Brownie Extreme. He went with a cooler to that far location, brought one back and surprised me with it, so we always joke about that. But when this came up, in all seriousness, it’s just more meaningful to me,” Lipinski says.
“As a mom now, it just makes you realize that you’re so grateful for collaborations like this, where DQ is coming together with Children’s Miracle Network for Miracle Treat Day, which is July 30,” she continues. “You go in, you get your favorite Blizzard treat and $1 or more gets donated to local children’s hospitals through Children’s Miracle Network. Just that small act of getting a yummy Blizzard treat is going to make a difference.”
Along with teaming up with Dairy Queen, Lipinski has also continued to skate for fun. As to whether or not she plans on taking that practice to the ice professionally, she says no.
“I love to skate. It’s still sort of like my home away from home, my place I go when I’m in need of comfort. But competing? I’m glad I’m done with that,” she says. “That’s stress and this high-level anxiety I don’t need to ever experience again.”
For more information on Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen, click here.
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