While India may not have sent a figure skater to the Olympics, the country was magnificently represented at the centre stage by a heart-warming and viral performance. Russian‑Georgian figure skater Anastasiia Gubanova shocked the audience with her performance on Bollywood songs at the Winter Olympics 2026.
Olympics, but make it Bollywood
The 23-year-old danced to the tunes of 'San Sanana San' from the movie 'Asoka' and the title track of the 2025 film 'Dhurandhar'. Dressed in a sparkling red and gold outfit, Gubanova completed the Indian touch to her performance with a red bindi as well.
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Videos of her performance have been circulating all over social media gaining praise from Indian and Bollywood fans across the world. Gubanova can be seen effortlessly twirling and spinning in confident moves, while enjoying the Hindi tracks. During her performance, she even took a moment to perform a Punjabi folk step to the electric beats.
Netizens react to Anastasiia Gubanova's performance
Numerous netizens have appreciated the figure-skater's association with Indian culture and choice of performing on Bollywood tracks.
"India didn’t send anyone for figure skating to #Olympics in Italy, but Russian Anastasia Gubanova (representing Georgia) volunteered to be the ambassador for Hindu culture and Indian music!" wrote one on X.
“Amazing tribute to Indian culture and music by Georgia’s skater Anastasiia Gubanova at the Winter Olympics in Milan” appreciated another.
Anastasiia Gubanova at the Winter Olympics 2026
This is not the first time Gubanova donned the outfit. She also rocked the same outfit with a red bidi in September 2025, while performing on the same mashup in Beijing, China.
The figure skater is a 2023 European champion, a two-time European silver medallist, a four-time ISU Challenger Series gold medallist and a two-time ISU Grand Prix bronze medallist.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics began on February 6 and will end on February 22, 2026. The competitions will be held at Milan’s San Siro stadium and at Cortina d’Ampezzo. India has sent two skiers to the games, Arif Khan and Stanzin Lundup.