Alexandra Trusova Skates to Stooges & Florence + the Machine, Almost Refuses to Take Olympic Podium In True Punk Fashion

We’ve seen performances set to everything from Star Wars to Janet Jackson to Daft Punk at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, but the women’s free skate competition was treated to an unexpectedly punk needle drop during the Thursday (Feb. 17) night broadcast on NBC. Seventeen-year-old Alexandra Trusova, competing as part of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), nabbed a silver medal skating to the Stooges’ proto-punk classic “I Wanna Be Your Dog” via the John McCrea cover that cropped up in Disney’s 2021 film Cruella.

While most skaters opt for safe, mostly instrumental musical choices at the Olympic level, a black-clad Trusova took the ice to Florence + the Machine’s “Call Me Cruella” as she attempted a record-setting five quad jumps during her routine, fully landing four of them. Mid-routine, the Florence soundtrack jam segued into the snarling guitars and droning rhythms of the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” as performed by actor/singer John McCrea in Cruella.

Of course, alt-rock music choices were not the biggest news to come out of the Olympic women’s skating in Beijing. After gold medal favorite Kamila Valieva, a 15-year-old Olympian competing for the ROC, tested positive for drugs and was nevertheless allowed to compete, Valieva fell numerous times during her free skate and placed fourth. Meanwhile, ROC skater Anna Shcherbakova breezed into first place, much to the chagrin of Trusova, who almost refused to take the podium to accept her silver medal (now THAT would have been punk). “I hate this sport. I won’t go onto the ice again,” Trusova said before relenting and accepting second place at the women’s free skate at the 2022 Olympics.