Alysa Liu has ended a two-decade drought for U.S. women’s figure skating.
The 20-year-old won the gold medal and took the top of the podium in women’s singles figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 19, becoming the first U.S. woman to win Olympic gold in the event since 2002. Her free skate performance to “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer bumped her to the top of the standings following a third place finish in the short program on Feb. 17.
"I literally can't process this," she said while walking through the tunnel of the arena following her win.
Her win is representative of a major comeback for Liu after announcing her decision to retire in 2022 following her first Olympic appearance in Beijing at just 16 years old.
“There was nothing more I wanted than to just be with my friends and my family,” Liu told Cosmopolitan Jan. 7. “Skating had nothing to do with that at that point.”
However, in 2024, she decided that missed having the athletic and creative outlet. She called her coaches to inform them of her hopes to return to competition. But, for Liu, her return to skating came with one condition—she was going to do things her way.
“I made a deal with my coaches: No one tells me what I’m gonna wear. No one tells me how my hair is gonna be. No one’s gonna try to change me,” Liu continued to tell Cosmopolitan. “I’m going to pick my own programs and skate the sessions I want to skate.”
That autonomy helped her to rediscover her passion for the sport and skate without the weight of expectation. Prior to her gold medal-winning performance, she noted that simply making it to the Milan games was enough for her to be content.
“I don't need a medal,” Liu told USA Today Feb. 17. “I just need to be here, and I just need to be present. And I need people to see what I do next.”
