Liu Wins Olympic Women’s Figure Skating Title for Team USA

It had been 24 years since an American woman won an individual Olympic gold medal in figure skating until Thursday’s free skate.

And with Japan’s Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto in first and second place after the short program, it didn’t appear likely that the drought would be broken for at least another four years.

But on Thursday night, with the entire world watching, Alysa Liu — the 20-year-old from California with bleached tree-ringed hair who is only two years out of retirement — made the impossible look easy with a flawless performance that combined her signature artistry with perfectly executed jumps.

Liu opened her skate to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park Suite” — the same program with which she won the world championship title last March — with a triple flip, followed by a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination that had the crowd clapping along to the disco beat almost immediately. As she skated off the rink, Liu looked at the camera and yelled, “That’s what I’m f—ing talking about!”

She jumped up and down in happiness with her trainers Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali as she exited the ice, and she was overjoyed when her score of 150.20, which shattered her previous season high, was announced. Her total score of 226.79 quickly put her in the lead, and with just Nakai and Sakamoto left, she was guaranteed a medal. Despite the stakes, she sat in the rink-side seat designated for the leader, clapping and cheering on her two competitors as they skated.

She later informed reporters that whatever happened was simply a bonus. She’d already had the opportunity to share her art and creativity with 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 lifted her hand in jubilation, as if to crown the new champion. Liu then went around hugging everyone in the area, including Sakamoto, who won the silver, and Nakai, who won the bronze.

Anyone who has followed Liu’s early career in the sport will not be surprised by Thursday’s result. In 2019, Liu became the youngest woman in US history to win the national championship, at the age of 13. She won it again the following year, and she qualified for the Olympics at the age of 16 in 2022.

However, after finishing sixth at the Beijing Games and third at the world championships soon after, Liu revealed on Instagram that she would be retiring from the sport due to fatigue. For the next two years, she lived the life of an adolescent, hanging out with friends, going on vacation, and enrolling at UCLA.

Finally, the ice drew her back. After a family ski trip reminded her of the excitement she felt while skating, she found herself at a public skating session. It wasn’t long before she decided to make an official reappearance. She hired DiGuglielmo and Scali, two of her previous coaches, who were initially apprehensive. Few had returned after such a long absence, and they told her so.

Liu was persistent. And this time, she insisted on making all decisions herself. She would have the final word on everything, including the music in her presentations, her clothes, and when and how long she trained. She wanted her ideas and creativity to be evident in all she did.

Last season, her first return, she won the world championships. Her team understood she had the talent and programs to win, but it wasn’t their first goal. Liu simply wanted to showcase her artwork on a large platform.

The laid-back attitude continued 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 eager to have a proper Olympic experience, DiGuglielmo explained, when the 2022 Games were staged with stringent COVID-19 protocols in place. Liu, the only singles skater on the US team who has previously competed in the Olympics, wanted to soak it all in and show everyone who she is and how she got there. She also stated that she was “honored” to have the opportunity to play in front of a crowd, which included her friends and relatives.

“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 stated that Thursday’s final result was irrelevant. Simply being at the Games and giving Liu the opportunity to create new memories was a win. So much so, he told a small group of reporters that he and Scali toasted Liu before the free skate with “two lovely glasses of Paul Rose champagne” before heading 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.”