Alysa Liu Olympic Gold Medals Propel American Superstar to Global Fame

aly sa liu olympic gold medals marked a dramatic return for the 20-year-old when she skated a showstopping free program that vaulted her from third into Olympic champion, and her victory immediately reverberated online and across the Games.

Free skate sealed it: 150. 20 and a 226. 79 total

"Oh my word!" was the reaction as Alysa Liu produced a performance that delivered a staggering 150. 20 in the free skate and an overall score of 226. 79, narrowly edging Kaori Sakamoto for the title. Liu had been third after the short program following a couple of errors and a mistake on her triple lutz on Tuesday night when she failed to fully rotate the element, forcing her to play catch-up on 17-year-old Ami Nakai, who led after the short program, and on Sakamoto.

Wearing a sparkly gold dress and performing to Donna Summer, Liu completed a routine that drew deafening cheers and left no mistakes. Sakamoto — who Liu had beaten for the world title last year — took silver in what was her final performance before retirement, while 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. Kaori Sakamoto, Alysa Liu and Ami Nakai received their medals from IOC president Kirsty Coventry.

A comeback that ended a 24-year drought for the U. S.

The win makes Liu, 20, the first American Olympic champion in women's figure skating since Sarah Hughes in 2002 and the first U. S. medallist in the event since Sasha Cohen in 2006. It completes a remarkable comeback: Liu had previously quit the sport at 16 after missing out on a medal at Beijing 2022. Her gold also stood out as the lone American singles figure skating triumph after Ilia Malinin's collapse in the men's event; Malinin was among those in the crowd who gave Liu a standing ovation as she wrote herself into Olympic folklore.

Liu, often described in the competition coverage as the alt girl with her iconic halo hair and lip piercing, said after the performance, "My family is out there, my friends are out there. I had to put on a show for them. " She added, "When I see other people smiling, because I see them in the audience, I have to smile, too. I have no poker face. "

Alysa Liu Olympic Gold Medals and the Instagram surge

One week after winning what was described as the first individual Olympic gold medal in women's figure skating in 24 years, Liu reached 5. 3 million followers on Instagram on Tuesday. Prior to the start of the Olympics she had fewer than 300, 000 followers. A photo showed the gold medallist displaying her medal after competing in the women's free skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 19, 2026.

The spike pushed Liu ahead of fellow Chinese-American athlete Eileen Gu, who now has about 3. 7 million Instagram followers after she won a gold and two silvers at these Games, bringing her Olympic medal tally to six with three golds and making her the most decorated women's freeskier in the sport's history. Prior to the Olympics, Gu had over 2. 1 million followers and saw a bump at the Games; she also commented on Liu's celebratory post with a single word: "YESSSSSS. "

Both Liu and Gu are children of immigrants from China: Arthur Liu raised Alysa and her siblings in Oakland, and Yan Gu raised Eileen in San Francisco. The China Project said the Chinese government launched a program to recruit foreign-born athletes, primarily with Chinese heritage, to boost competitiveness, notably for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and soccer. Gu traded in the red, white and blue for red and gold after competing in her first Freestyle Ski World Cup for the U. S. in January 2019; she first competed for China in June 2019 after requesting a change of nation with the International Ski Federation.

Why the free skate resonated beyond the medals

Commentary after the Games suggested Liu's free skate transcended a simple win. The Olympics, which officially came to a close on Sunday, produced many viral moments across sports — a wolf-dog named Nazgul joining the women's cross-country team sprint, a Norwegian medalist trying to win back his girlfriend during a post-victory interview after cheating on her, and Japanese skier Ikuma Horishima losing control and crossing the finish line backward yet still securing silver — but Liu's routine became a defining image.

Liu's return to competition had deeper roots: she had stepped away at 16 for her mental health, and when she chose to come back her coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo, tried to talk her out of it. Liu insisted this time she would be in charge of her routine, her schedule and what she ate — elements she said were important to how she approached performing. She has repeatedly said she was not there solely for medals: "I just personally can't bring myself to truly care about winning a medal or not … I mean when I'm enjoying performing it doesn't matter what happens, " and, days before the free skate, "I don't need a medal. I just need to be here, and I just need to be present. " Her gold-medal program was described as breaking the internet after she won gold on Thursday.

It is unclear in the provided context what Liu's next competitive plans are.