Adam Rippon’s Ice Skating Routine Song At The Olympics Means A Lot To Him

Adam Rippon has been one of the most talked about performers during this year's Winter Games. His outspoken and lovable personality has attracted a great deal of attention during the 2018 PyeongChang showcase, and his taste in music is no different. Of course, Rippon's ice skating routine song choices to this point have matched his boisterous persona, as he has skated effortlessly to the beat of his own drum during each of his performances at this year's event.

His final performance of the Winter Games took place on Saturday, Feb. 17 in PyeongChang (Friday night in the U.S.), and, he skated to a medley of "O" by Coldplay and "Arrival of the Birds" by the Cinematic Orchestra — a standby favorite for the athlete. During the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic in September 2016, Rippon skated to skated to the mash-up and then he repeated the song choice during his outstanding Olympic debut. The 28-year-old Pennsylvania native also returned to his Grand Prix roots by wowing Olympic fans on Feb. 15 with a short skate program to “Let Me Think About It.”

The repeat of the song makes sense when you consider what Rippon explained to People,

"It’s about a bird who is the leader of the flock and then has a broken wing, but then regains their strength and they find themselves flying free to victory. This season I’m coming off of that injury, but I’m so much stronger because of that. I never lost sight of what my goals were and I think that program is my story — I’m going to fly free. I can do it.”

Of course, the athlete is always conscience about his song choices. As he told Variety in January 2018, "You want your music to be competitive, to have a specific rhythm that goes with elements of what you’re doing."

But that's far from the only song associated with the athlete. Rippon notoriously sung, and then dropped the mic to skate, to Rihanna's 2012 hit "Diamonds" during the gala portion of the 2017-18 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Japan this past December. Speaking to Deadspin about his glorious Grand Prix moment, Rippon gave insight on his background in singing:

“I always like to hear myself in the car, which I know is like that telltale sign of somebody who’s like f*cking awful, where you like hear yourself in the car and you’re like ‘I’m amazing’ but like you really you have the music turned up so loud that you’re just like hearing Whitney Houston sing but it’s covering up your own flat notes.”

The athlete initially had big plans for the song. At the start of the 2017-18 season, Deadspin reported that Rippon actually recorded his own version of “Diamonds” to skate to for the short program. However, he scrapped the idea for “Let Me Think About It” by Ida Carr and Fedde le Grande instead.

Of course, when asked by Deadspin if he'd consider using "Diamonds" for the gala in Pyeongchang, Rippon shared, “You know, I’m always kind of changing it up. Always trying to keep these b*tches on their toes.” That said, it's also worth noting that Rippon can sometimes be a creature of habit when it comes to his song choices and coordinating performances — not that this is a bad thing considering how many people are riveted by watching him perform in a figure skating event.

With so many fans rooting for his success, it's safe to say that he will always be a winner in the eyes of fans. And, if nothing else, he's taking your appreciation for Coldplay to a whole new level.