Alysa Liu and Daniel Radcliffe share playful gold medal moment backstage at Today

Alysa Liu and Daniel Radcliffe shared a playful backstage moment at Today, joking about her gold medal

Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu and actor Daniel Radcliffe delighted fans with a charming backstage meeting at Today on March 2, blending Olympic triumph with Hollywood nostalgia.

Liu, 20, was visibly stunned when Radcliffe, 36, walked into the room. “Oh my lord,” she exclaimed, clutching her gold medal as the two embraced. The Harry Potter star immediately zeroed in on the medal around her neck, pointing at it in awe before giving her an enthusiastic high-five. They quickly pulled out a phone and snapped several selfies, both grinning ear to ear.

Radcliffe didn’t hold back his admiration, telling Liu, “You being you was the most joyful thing I’ve watched,” referring to her gold medal-winning skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. The heartfelt compliment left Liu beaming as she thanked him.

During their photo-op, Liu generously offered to let Radcliffe wear her gold medal. “I wasn’t going to ask,” he replied with a laugh. After a brief hesitation, he declined to put it on, joking, “It feels like stolen valor.” Instead, he carefully held the medal as they posed for another picture, making sure it remained front and center.

 

 

 

 

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The exchange quickly made waves online, with fans loving the genuine, unscripted energy between the two. In the comments of the show’s post, the US Figure Skating account playfully referenced Radcliffe’s most famous role, writing, “Gold snitch catcher 🤝 gold medalist.”

Liu’s Olympic run marked a remarkable comeback. After retiring from figure skating in 2022, she returned to competition in 2024, rediscovering her love for the sport. That journey culminated in two gold medals at the Milano Cortina Games, one in the team event and another in the women’s free skate.

For fans, the backstage moment was more than just a celebrity crossover. It was a rare glimpse of mutual admiration, a decorated athlete and a beloved actor bonding over achievement, humility and one very carefully handled gold medal.