Alysa Liu Wins First U.S. Women’s Olympic Gold Since 2002
The 20-year-old from California, who walked away from elite skating at 16, overtook two Japanese stars in Saturday’s free skate to claim the Olympic title in Milan, ending a 24-year drought for American women.
Liu Lands Season-Best 150.20 Free Skate
She opened with a clean triple Lutz-triple toe and later tacked a triple Lutz-double Axel-double toe cascade onto her program, a combo no rival matched for base value. The jumps helped her post 150.20 in the free and a personal-record 226.79 overall, moving past overnight leader Ami Nakai and world champion Kaori Sakamoto. Judges logged plus grades on seven of 12 elements, a sharp rebound from January’s U.S. Championships where a shaky short left her fourth.
Donna Summer Program Returns for Gold
Liu shelved the Lady Gaga medley that won her nationals and revived the Donna Summer medley that carried her to 2025 world gold. The switch, hidden until the six-minute warmup, let her “channel a feeling I already trusted,” she said. Choreographer Massimo Scali tapped the boards to each musical accent; Liu hit every crescendo, closing with the same layback spin that sealed her world title in Boston last March.
Sakamoto Takes Silver, Nakai Bronze
Kaori Sakamoto’s Edith Piaf program included a double Axel-triple toe-double toe worth big points, but a tilted triple flip cost a planned combo and about three points. Her 147.67 free skate totaled 224.90—1.89 behind Liu. Seventeen-year-old Ami Nakai popped the second jump of an early Lutz-toe and slipped to ninth in the free, yet her short-program lead held for bronze at 219.16. The result gives Japan six figure-skating medals in Milan, its largest Olympic haul in the sport since 1908.
Next U.S. Contenders After Liu
Liu is the eighth American woman to win individual Olympic gold and the first since Sarah Hughes in 2002. Amber Glenn’s 147.52 free skate—third-best of the night—lifted her to fifth after a shaky short placed her 13th, hinting at U.S. depth. Isabeau Levito, undone by an under-rotated loop, finished 12th, yet the 19-year-old still owns the second-highest season total among Americans. With Liu eyeing only show tours and college classes, U.S. Figure Skating will lean on Glenn, Levito, and junior-world medalist Sophia Goldstein to guard the new momentum.
Medal Carries Mental-Health Message
Liu hopes the “retiree-to-champion” storyline pushes the sport to value athlete well-being. After stepping back in 2022 she took up pottery, volunteered at a San Francisco food bank, and met a sports psychologist twice a week—steps she credits with rekindling joy in training. “I’m not a comeback unicorn,” she said Saturday night. “I’m what happens when you let yourself stop.”
Action Steps for Young Skaters
- Schedule at least one non-skating activity each week to anchor identity beyond results.
- Coaches: log mood, not just jump count—quick 1-to-5 check-ins after sessions.
- Parents: plan one full off-ice weekend per month during season.
- Clubs: fund on-site mental-health staff at qualifiers and print crisis-line numbers in event programs.
Source: U.S. Figure Skating press release
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