Alysa Liu Today: Double Olympic Gold Medalist Receives Key to Oakland, Skips World Championships to Embrace Historic Fame
Alysa Liu returned home to a hero's welcome Thursday, accepting the Key to the City of Oakland just weeks after becoming the first American woman to win Olympic gold in individual figure skating since 2002. The 20-year-old superstar is now navigating a level of celebrity that her own coach admits has left even her agents overwhelmed.
Key to the City of Oakland: Alysa Liu's Homecoming Rally
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee presented Alysa Liu with the Key to the City of Oakland at a hometown celebration rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza on Thursday, March 12, reminding the audience that Liu trained at the Oakland Ice Center right in the city.
Liu is the first U.S. woman in 24 years to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating — and she brought home two of them. The celebration began inside Oakland City Hall's council chambers, where Liu spoke openly about navigating her new fame. "Most people have been really respectful, so I've been grateful for that," she said. "But, yeah, I gotta learn how to live my life and go on about my day without getting stopped too many times."
Liu shouted out her Chinese heritage throughout the event, saying, "I love being half Chinese, and both my parents are actually full Chinese, so I was raised in a complete Chinese household. It shaped a lot of who I am today."
Oakland Celebration Brought Out Bay Area Legends
The rally included appearances from Bay Area rappers G-Eazy, P-Lo, and Jwalt, 1992 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, 2004 Olympic boxing gold medalist Andre Ward, and Emmy-winning host W. Kamau Bell.
Grammy-winning R&B singer Kehlani, who like Liu is an alumna of the Oakland School of the Arts, closed out the celebration. At one point Kehlani called Liu back onstage, asking the crowd to make noise for her "GOAT."
Liu also joined TURFInc artists onstage to perform Bay Area-style street dancing, delighting the crowd. Her father, Arthur Liu, was a Chinese dissident who came to America following the government crackdown on Tiananmen Square protesters.
Alysa Liu Withdraws From 2026 World Figure Skating Championships
For two weeks after winning the Olympic women's singles title on February 19 in Milan, Alysa Liu and her coach Phillip DiGuglielmo still planned to go to Prague to defend her world title. "I knew her training wouldn't be optimal, but we're used to that," DiGuglielmo said. "But this was going to be far from optimal." The coach ultimately understood it was time for Liu to embrace the historic opportunities coming her way instead.
Alysa Liu was the defending world champion after becoming the first American since Kimmie Meissner in 2006 to win the world title in Boston last year. Sarah Everhardt will take Liu's spot on the Team USA roster for the Prague championships running March 24 to 29.
Liu shared that her withdrawal was not easy, noting the event holds special significance because it could mark the final appearance for several fellow skaters in the skating community. She said she had genuinely hoped to be there for those potential farewell moments.
7.6 Million Instagram Followers and Counting
The scale of Alysa Liu's explosion into mainstream celebrity is difficult to overstate. Ninety days ago she had approximately 150,000 Instagram followers. That number now stands at 7.6 million — with 2.8 million of those followers added in the single three-day span that followed her Olympic singles triumph.
DiGuglielmo described the scene plainly: "She is just exploding. Even her agents are overwhelmed." He was careful to point out that the fame was earned beyond just the result. "I told Alysa that this didn't happen just because she won the Olympics. It was how she won — showing the world she loves to do what she does."
Alysa Liu has also warned fans about a wave of fake social media accounts impersonating her and attempting to run scams. She confirmed her only official accounts are one Instagram and one TikTok profile.
Paris Fashion Week and What Comes Next for Alysa Liu
Before returning to California for the Oakland rally, Alysa Liu flew to Paris to attend the Louis Vuitton Women's Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026–2027 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on March 10. GQ and Vogue both featured her appearance on their Instagram pages.
Back home at the Oakland Ice Center, where murals and banners of Liu now line the walls, young skaters say her story has changed everything for them. General manager Glenn Martin told reporters the rink has seen a surge of new faces hoping to learn to skate or simply catch a glimpse of its most famous alumni.
