Alysa Liu’s gold medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics was not just another win for Team USA. It felt like a reset button for American figure skating. On February 19, 2026, she scored 226.79 points, the best of her career, and stood on top of the podium while the crowd roared.
That number mattered, but the history mattered more. She became the first American woman to win Olympic gold in singles since Sarah Hughes did it in 2002. No American woman had even reached the podium since 2006. Liu ended a 24-year wait!
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The ice queen edged out Japan’s three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto, who took silver, and her teammate Ami Nakai, who earned bronze. The margin was tight, and the pressure was intense. Liu looked calm and loose anyway.
The Retirement That Shocked Everyone
Alysa / IG / After the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Liu finished sixth. She was only 16 years old. Most skaters her age are just getting started, but she felt done.
She later said she was burned out. Her childhood had been packed with early mornings, strict training, and constant expectations. She had little space to figure out who she was outside the rink.
So she retired.
The American figure skater walked away from elite competition and disappeared from the spotlight. She traveled with friends and enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, to study psychology. She experimented with her style and even got a frenulum piercing, something that showed she was shaping her own identity.
That break changed her. She found joy in normal routines, like sitting in a college lecture or grabbing coffee without thinking about practice. Plus, she built friendships that had nothing to do with medals or jump layouts.
When she announced her return in 2024, people were confused. Some thought it was a publicity stunt. Others doubted she could regain top form after years away.
Liu is Skating on Her Own Terms
Alysa / IG / Liu’s return looked different from her first run in the sport. She trained hard, but she set boundaries. Plus, she focused on mental health as much as triple jumps.
At the Milano Ice Skating Arena, she skated to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park Suite.” The music pulsed through the arena. Liu smiled through her spins and played to the crowd like she was at a block party back home in Oakland.
When she finished, she yelled into a camera in pure excitement. The moment felt raw and real. It was not polished or scripted. It was joy spilling out after years of pressure.
Her teammates felt it too. Amber Glenn said Liu’s impact would go far beyond the medal count. Glenn had her own comeback moment at the Games, bouncing back from a rough short program to deliver a strong free skate.
Glenn pointed out something simple but powerful. A healthy athlete can skate better. Joy is not a weakness. It can be an edge. Two-time Olympian Johnny Weir praised Liu for showing that there is more than one path to the top. For years, figure skating rewarded silence and sacrifice. Liu showed that honesty and balance can win, too.
Her win sparked conversations across the skating world. Coaches started talking more openly about burnout. Young skaters saw that stepping back does not mean giving up forever.
At the Olympic Closing Ceremony, she said she could not imagine not skating next year. She spoke about loving life as an athlete now, which sounded very different from how she felt at 16.
Her next stop is the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, scheduled for March 24 to 29, 2026. She plans to defend her world title there.