Liu wins elusive Olympic women’s figure skating gold for U.S.
MILAN — It had been 24 years since an American woman had won an individual Olympic gold in figure skating entering Thursday’s free skate.
And with Japan’s Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto in the top two spots after the short program, it didn’t exactly seem likely that drought would be snapped for at least another four years.
But on Thursday night, with the eyes of the world watching, Alysa Liu — the 20-year-old with bleached tree-ringed hair from California just two years removed from unretirement — made the impossible look effortless with a flawless performance that combined her signature artistry with perfectly executed jumps.
Alysa Liu gave the United States its first women’s figure skating gold medal in 24 years at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday. Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Skating to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park Suite” — the same program with which she won the world championship title last March — Liu landed her triple flip to open her skate, followed by her triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, and almost immediately had the crowd clapping along to the disco beat. As she skated off the ice, Liu turned to the camera and exclaimed, “That’s what I’m f—ing talking about!”
She jumped up and down after she left the ice in celebration with her coaches Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali, and she was elated when her score of 150.20, shattering her previous season best, was announced. Her total score of 226.79 immediately gave her the lead and, with just Nakai and Sakamoto remaining, she was guaranteed a medal. But, despite the stakes, she sat in the rink-side seat reserved for the leader and clapped and cheered on her two competitors as they skated.
She later told reporters whatever happened was just a bonus. She had already had the opportunity to showcase her art and creativity to the world.
“I don’t need this [medal],” Liu said. “But what I needed was the stage and I got that, so I was all good. No matter what happened.”
When Nakai’s scores were announced, Liu’s teammate Amber Glenn jumped up next to her and raised her hand in celebration as if to pronounce the new champion. Liu then went and hugged everyone in the vicinity, including Sakamoto, who earned the silver, and Nakai, who claimed the bronze.
Thursday’s outcome would hardly be surprising for anyone who followed Liu’s early days in the sport. Liu became the youngest woman in United States history to win the national championship as a 13-year-old in 2019. She won it again the following year, and an Olympic berth came as a 16-year-old in 2022.
But, following a sixth-place finish at the Beijing Games and a third-place result at the world championships soon after, Liu announced, via Instagram, she would be retiring from the sport citing burnout. For the next two years, she lived the life of a teenager — hanging out with friends, taking vacations and enrolling at UCLA.
Eventually, the ice lured her back. After a family ski trip reminded her of the thrill she felt skating, she found herself at a public skating session. It didn’t take long before she decided to officially make a comeback. She hired DiGuglielmo and Scali, two of her former coaches, who were initially apprehensive. Few had managed to come back after such a lengthy absence, and they told her as much.
Liu was persistent. And this time, she insisted, every decision would come from her. She would have the last say in everything from the music in her programs to her costumes to when and how long she trained. She wanted her ideas and her creativity to be reflected in everything she did.
Last season, her first back, she won the title at the world championships. Her team knew she had the potential and the programs to win, but it wasn’t their priority. For Liu, she just wanted to show her art on a big stage.
That same laid-back attitude persisted going into 2025-26.
“We never actually had a goal of winning. We never said winning an Olympic gold medal,” DiGuglielmo said on Thursday night. “We never said it because it was kind of taboo … For her, it’s all about showing her art and the goal [for this season] was just to make the Olympic team. That was the really big deal for her.”
Liu was excited to have the true Olympic experience, DiGuglielmo explained, after the 2022 Games had been held with strict COVID-19 protocols in place. The only singles skater for the U.S. team who had been to the Olympics before, Liu wanted to take everything in and show everyone who she is and her journey. She also said she was “honored” to have the chance to perform in front of a crowd, as well as her friends and family who were in attendance.
“I think my story is more important than anything to me, and that’s what I hold dear,” Liu said on Thursday. “And this journey has been incredible, and my life has just been — I have no complaints and I’m just so grateful for everything.”
DiGuglielmo said Thursday’s final result was irrelevant. Just being at the Games and Liu getting a chance to make new memories was already a victory. So much so, he told a small group of reporters that he and Scali toasted to Liu before the free skate with “two lovely glasses of Paul Rose champagne” before walking over to the rink.
“We did a little pre-celebratory thing, like we learned from her,” he said. “A third place, fourth place [finish] would’ve still been an incredible accomplishment. I can’t sit here and say she has to win. [Saying] she has to win doesn’t jibe with her values.”
Liu had already collected an Olympic gold medal in the team event last week. She had been among a trio of American women — who dubbed themselves the “Blade Angels” — who all had a chance for the podium. Glenn, the three-time reigning national champion, had been considered among the favorites, but a botched jump in her short program had her fall down the standings into 13th place. Isabeau Levito was in eighth place entering Thursday’s free skate.
Levito fell in her free skate and finished in 12th place, but Glenn had a redemptive performance. Skating in the second group (out of four), she triumphantly landed her high-scoring triple axel and was nearly flawless. Her score of 147.52 for a total of 214.53 put her in the lead until the final four competitors.
While clearly disappointed to have not finished with an individual medal, Glenn stood in ovation for Liu during her program and couldn’t hide her excitement for her friend when it was over.
“Her story of taking a step back, mental health — I think it really attests to you never know what the journey to success is going to be,” Glenn said. “I really hope that can reach the skating community, that it’s OK to take time.”
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