Alysa Liu Wins First U.S. Women’s Figure Skating Olympic Gold in 24 Years

On Feb. 19, Alysa Liu was the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal for figure skating since 2002, all while doing it “her way.” 

Liu resides in Oakland, California, and retired from figure skating after the 2022 Beijing Games, ending a career filled with outstanding titles and medals all before 16. Coming out of retirement in 2024, all in a very casual manner, Liu simply wanted to skate again, working her way up to where she was before her teenage retirement.

As Liu wore gold at the Olympics, she won gold, manifesting her medal while dancing to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park Suite.” Throughout Liu’s program, her smile was the brightest thing on the ice, as she has kept a motto during her return to skating: not to skate for the idea of getting a medal, but to truly enjoy it.

When asked by NBC about Liu’s first thoughts after her program, she simply said: “I wish it was longer,” emphasizing her love of skating, not necessarily for the goal of any medal, but rather for the enjoyment of the act itself. 

Liu seemed as though she was the calmest person in the building during her performance, skating with ease and the energy of someone who isn’t skating for others, but for herself.

“I don’t need this,” said Liu, speaking of her gold medal. “What I needed was the stage, and I got that, so I was all good no matter what happened.”

During her performance, Liu completed a triple lutz, a double axel, and a quadruple jump, gaining a score of 226.79. The podium with Liu winning gold, followed by Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto (224.90, silver) and Ami Nakai (219.16, bronze). When Nakai discovered that she won bronze, Liu quickly hugged her as they jumped in celebration. Liu has brought in not only a stunning win for the U.S. figure skating team but a nuanced outlook on competing in sports. 

Liu has impressed the world not only with her skating but also with her alternative-leaning style and collected approach to skating, which figure skating has never seen before. As Liu has a smiley piercing, her hair has platinum halos, and she is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles, she strives not to let figure skating affect her personality; instead, to embrace it. 

In an interview with CBS, Liu is asked, “What would you want to tell your younger self?” to which she responds, “I actually wouldn’t tell my younger self a thing–cause she is going to figure it out herself.” While Liu left the public eye of figure skating, she allowed herself to grow up in a mindset of prioritizing what she wanted, pursuing her own interests besides figure skating. 

Liu has brought a new wave and perspective to competitive figure skating, one that’s not necessarily filled with competitiveness at all–instead, all for her own fun to be had on the ice.