Alysa Liu Makes History With Gold Medal Win at 2026 Olympics

by

Alysa Liu made a golden comeback.

The figure skater returned to competition at the 2026 Olympics four years after retiring, and on February 19th, she made history by winning the gold medal in the women’s final. This victory made her the first American to win gold in the event since Sarah Hughes in 2002, and only the second to medal, following Sasha Cohen’s silver in 2006.

Alysa, age 20, won gold while skating to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park.” Her victory is also historic – she’s the first skater in her 20s to win a gold medal since Shizuka Arakawa of Japan, who won at age 24 in 2006.

The Olympian was thrilled to win first place at the Milano Cortino games. While heading to the medal ceremony, Alysa thought about her victory. She was joined by Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai, who took home the silver and bronze medals.

“I just can’t process this. There’s no way,” Alysa said. “I really liked my skate a lot.”

Alysa has now won two gold medals at the Winter Olympics. She previously won one in the team figure skating event on February 8th.

Following her performance at the 2022 Olympics, 16-year-old Alysa announced her retirement from figure skating. She explained that she was stepping away because she had already accomplished her two main goals in the sport.

She shared in a now-deleted Instagram post from 2022 that she had two goals as a skater: to compete in the Olympics and to enjoy the experience with her friends and fellow skaters. Once she achieved those goals this year, she realized she didn’t want to continue skating.

Now that I’ve finished with skating, I’m really looking forward to spending more time with the people I care about – that’s what’s most important to me right now,” she said. “I’m prioritizing my friends and family, and honestly, I feel like I’ve achieved everything I set out to do in skating. It doesn’t feel like giving anything up, but more like moving on to a new chapter.

Alysa felt the desire to skate again during a ski trip to Lake Tahoe, California in January 2024, leading her to come out of retirement and start competing once more.

After winning her first gold medal, Alysa told NBC LA that she’d been craving the excitement she felt while skiing. ‘I missed the adrenaline rush from that ski trip two years ago, and I needed to experience that feeling again,’ she explained. ‘Everything that’s happened over the past two years has been amazing.’

For a look at more unbelievable moments from the 2026 Olympic, keep reading. 

Oh my gosh, it was heartbreaking! Amber Glenn, my absolute favorite, just attempted that triple loop and… she fell. I just felt awful for her! She immediately started crying, right there on the ice. It was so tough to watch, but she’s such a strong skater, I know she’ll bounce back. I was just devastated for her in that moment!

Tom Wilson of Canada scuffles with Pierre Crinon of France in a rare Olympic hockey fight.

Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen was overcome with emotion after making history by winning Brazil’s first-ever gold medal at the Winter Olympics in the men’s giant slalom.

Stevenson Savart, Haiti’s first-ever Olympic cross-country skier, finished the men’s 10km race and received a standing ovation.

Spanish figure skater Tomas Guarino performs his short program dressed as a Minion, inspired by the movie Despicable Me.

A dog wanders onto the track during the women’s team cross country free sprint qualifiers.

Curler Marc Kennedy observed his teammate, Brad Jacobs, putting on lip balm during a men’s round robin game.

Ilia Malinin, the U.S. figure skater nicknamed “Quad God,” surprisingly fell during his performance in the men’s single free skate, which resulted in an eighth-place finish.

German bobsledder Laura Nolte prepares before a training session for the monobob, which is a one-person bobsleigh race for women.

After the women’s snowboard halfpipe event, Korean snowboarder Gaon Choi took a photo with American Chloe Kim and Japan’s Mitsuki Ono. The picture was taken with a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition phone.

Nika Egadze, a figure skater from Georgia, took a photo with Simone Biles, the most decorated Olympic gymnast, while at the men’s singles figure skating event.

A cameraman captured a heartwarming moment as U.S. skiers Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin embraced after completing their second run in the women’s team combined slalom competition.

Biathlete Lou Jeanmonnot of France playfully posed with the stuffed mascots, Milo and Tina, from the Milan-Cortina Olympics. She received the plushies after winning a silver medal in the women’s 15km individual biathlon event.

After completing the super-G race, skier Dmytro Shepiuk wrote a message of support to his Ukrainian compatriots on a sticky note.

Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto is surprised by her score in the women’s singles free skating team event.

Speedskater Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands cried tears of joy after discovering she’d broken the Olympic record in the women’s 1,000-meter race.

China’s Eileen Gu competes in the women’s freestyle slopestyle—which earned her a silver medal.

Skater Maxim Naumov of the U.S. clutches a photo of his deceased parents after his performance in the men’s singles short program.

A composite image shows off the many tricks seen in the women’s freestyle slopestyle. 

Figure skater Ekaterina Kurakova of Poland celebrated her performance with teammates, holding up a stuffed pierogi—a popular and well-known Polish dish.

No, it’s Team Austria’s ski jumper Julia Muehlbacher.

Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp of Austria zoom by during the luge women’s doubles.

The figure skating team who won the gold medal took a selfie with a special Olympic Edition of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 while celebrating on the podium.

Lindsey Vonn, a U.S. skier, appeared focused and determined while training just days after suffering a torn ACL in a crash.

American skater Alysa Liu performs a Biellmann spin during her short program at the women’s single skating event.

Jennifer Dodds of Team Great Britain looked very anxious while watching the curling mixed doubles round robin match against South Korea.

Snoop Dogg,serving as an Olympics correspondent for NBC, tries his hand at curling at a practice.

Evan Bates and Madison Chock, both U.S. figure skaters and a couple in real life, seem perfectly in sync when they perform their ice dance routine.

Laila Edwards, the first Black woman to play hockey for the U.S. in the Olympics, competes against Sara Cajanova of the Czech Republic during their game.

During the men’s snowboard big air qualifying round, Australian athlete Valentino Guseli embraced Czech competitor Jakub Hrones.

Read More

2026-02-20 03:18