Alysa Liu Gold Medals and a social surge as alysa liu gold medals redraw the Olympic conversation

alysa liu gold medals have not only delivered an Olympic landmark in Milan but also triggered a dramatic rise in the skater's social following and renewed debate about national loyalty in sport. Her free skate and medal ceremony on Feb. 19, 2026, have become focal points for fans, commentators and athletes with intertwined careers and backgrounds.

Free skate performance, scores and podium details

Alysa Liu produced a free skate that earned 150. 20 points and an overall score of 226. 79, pushing her past Japan's Kaori Sakamoto to take Olympic gold. Liu had entered the free skate in third place after errors in the short program, including a triple lutz where she failed to fully rotate, but her free program — performed to Donna Summer while she wore a sparkly gold dress — drew deafening cheers from the crowd.

Sakamoto took silver in what was her final performance before retirement, and 17-year-old Ami Nakai claimed bronze. Japan's Mone Chiba finished fourth. Amber Glenn rose from 13th to fifth after an excellent free skate, and Russian champion Adeliia Petrosian placed sixth following a fall. The medals for Kaori Sakamoto, Alysa Liu and Ami Nakai were presented by IOC president Kirsty Coventry.

Alysa Liu Gold Medals, a comeback and crowd reaction

Liu, 20, becomes the first American Olympic champion in women's figure skating since Sarah Hughes in 2002 and the first USA medallist in the event since Sasha Cohen in 2006. Her victory completed a remarkable comeback: she had quit the sport at age 16 after missing out at Beijing 2022 and had returned to capture a world title before adding Olympic gold.

The crowd response was intense: Ilia Malinin, who had suffered a collapse in the men's event, was among those in the audience who gave Liu a standing ovation. Liu told the crowd that her family and friends were in the stands and that she had to put on a show for them, adding that when she sees people smiling in the audience she has to smile too and that she has no poker face.

Social media spike — 5. 3 million followers and Eileen Gu comparisons

Liu's gold medal and final performance sent her Instagram following soaring to 5. 3 million on Tuesday, roughly one week after she won the first individual Olympic gold medal in women's figure skating in 24 years. Before the Games began, Liu had fewer than 300, 000 followers; the jump after the event has been described as meteoric.

The surge left her ahead of fellow Chinese-American athlete Eileen Gu on Instagram: Gu's following sits at 3. 7 million now, up from more than 2. 1 million before the Games, but not matching Liu's increase. Gu also engaged directly with Liu's celebration, commenting "YESSSSSS" on Liu's post. The two athletes have been compared and contrasted repeatedly on social media during these Olympics.

Family histories, Bay Area roots and immigrant backgrounds

Both Liu and Gu are California-born Chinese-Americans and the children of immigrants from China. Arthur Liu raised Alysa and her siblings in Oakland. Yan Gu raised Eileen just across the bay in San Francisco. Observers have noted the contrast between Liu's story framed around American loyalty and Gu's decision to compete for another nation.

Medals, national switches and wider recruitment programs

Eileen Gu, who competes for China despite being born and raised in the U. S., won one gold and two silvers at these Games, bringing her Olympic medal total to six with three golds and making her the most decorated women's freeskier in the sport's history. Gu had competed in her first Freestyle Ski World Cup for the U. S. in January 2019, and just months later she competed for China for the first time in June 2019 after requesting a change of nation with the International Ski Federation; that move was described as trading in red, white and blue for red and gold.

Commentators have revisited broader efforts that targeted foreign-born athletes with Chinese heritage as part of a program to boost competitiveness in events such as the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and soccer. The debate around national representation and recruitment intensified alongside Liu's victory and the surge in her profile.

Commentary and the national debate

Commentator Clay Travis discussed Liu's gold medal victory and the debate over Eileen Gu, spotlighting how the two careers and choices have been contrasted. Liu's medal moment in Milan, Italy, on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, has become a flashpoint for discussions about identity, sport and the power of a single Olympic performance to reshape attention and allegiances.