American figure skater Alysa Liu brought home Olympic gold on Thursday with a spectacular performance at the Milano Cortina Games, ending a remarkable 20-year stretch without a medal for U.S. women in the sport.
Liu’s triumph was followed by Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto earning silver, while her 17-year-old compatriot Ami Nakai secured the bronze medal.
The 20-year-old American captivated the packed arena with her disco-inspired routine set to Donna Summer music, executing each jump with precision and bringing spectators to their feet with her confident performance.
“When I was skating, hearing the cheers, I felt so connected with the audience. I want to be out there again,” Liu shared after her victory.
“The way I felt out there was calm, happy and confident. I’ve been having fun. This experience is really cool,” she added.
Liu’s path to Olympic glory includes an extraordinary comeback story. She shocked the figure skating community by stepping away from competition at just 16 years old following the 2022 Beijing Olympics, explaining she was experiencing burnout and wanted to explore different pursuits.
Two years later, the California native returned with renewed passion and greater artistic control, making her own decisions about music selection, choreography, and costume design. This fresh approach led to a revival that included capturing the world championship title in Boston the previous year.
Wearing a sparkling gold costume that matched her achievement, Liu celebrated her perfect routine with a playful hair flip at the conclusion. Her teammate Ilia Malinin could be seen celebrating enthusiastically from the audience as she earned her season-high score of 150.20 in the free skate, totaling 226.79 points.
This marked Liu’s second gold medal from the Milano Games, following the United States’ earlier victory in the team event.
Liu entered Thursday’s competition as America’s final realistic chance for individual gold after teammates Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito, known as the “Blade Angels,” struggled during Tuesday’s short program.
With seven successful triple jumps on Thursday, Liu became the first American woman to earn an individual medal since Sasha Cohen’s silver in 2006 and the first U.S. gold medalist since Sarah Hughes’ victory in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Sakamoto, who was considered a strong contender entering the competition, fell short of her goal to capture her first Olympic gold in what would be her final Games. The three-time world champion and Beijing bronze medalist made a costly error on a jump combination that derailed her medal hopes.
The 25-year-old Japanese skater left the ice with a bleeding knee, her disappointment evident as she broke down in tears upon realizing her gold medal dreams had ended with that single mistake. She finished with a total score of 224.90.
“My goal was to get the gold medal, and now I feel so disappointed,” Sakamoto said through tears that continued even after the medal ceremony.
Nakai had been leading both Sakamoto and Liu going into Thursday’s free skate. While she successfully landed her opening triple Axel, her next element went awry when she mistimed what should have been a triple loop-triple toeloop combination, settling for a triple-double sequence that ultimately cost her the gold.
Despite placing ninth in the free skate, the teenager held onto bronze with a total of 219.16 points.
Nakai expressed surprise at making the Olympic team at all, let alone earning a medal, and acknowledged the responsibility of leading Japan’s figure skating future.
“It’s my first and last time and at the Olympics with her,” Nakai said of Sakamoto.
“I feel sad about that, but I think this means that moving forward, I am carrying the weight of the Japan team, so I’d like to do well for the next Olympics as well.”
Japan’s Mone Chiba placed fourth in her Olympic debut, while American Amber Glenn recovered from her 13th-place position after the short program to finish fifth overall. Russia’s Adeliia Petrosian fell during a quadruple jump attempt and ended up sixth.
All competitors found themselves chasing Liu, who said she felt free from the typical pressure of Olympic competition.
“The most important part of my story is human connection,” she explained.
“That’s all I want in my life, is human connection. And damn now I connect with a hella ton of people. So that’s my dream, and I am glad that I have my creative ideas and can share those as well.
“I think my story is more important than anything (results or medals), and that’s what I will hold dear. And this journey has been incredible.”
The women’s competition concluded the figure skating events at the Milano Cortina Games. Notable attendees included musician Megan Thee Stallion and former tennis champion Maria Sharapova.
