MILAN — Alysa Liu brought down the house, winning an Olympic gold medal with her free skate Thursday at the 2026 Winter Olympics and becoming the first American woman to win an individual figure skating Olympic medal in two decades.
‘I can’t process this, there’s no way,’ Liu said on the broadcast as she walked into the tunnel after being announced as the new Olympic champion.
From start to finish, Liu beamed while she soared across the ice. The crowd inside Milano Figure Skating Arena went absolutely wild when the music ended, the air electric at what they’d just witnessed. Liu skipped off the ice and into the arms of her coaches, jumping up and down.
She earned a season-best 150.20 for a total score of 226.79. Sasha Cohen was the last U.S. woman to win an individual Olympic medal, taking silver in 2006.
Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan took silver with a clean performance that earned her a 147.67 for a total of 224.90. She and Liu embraced for a long hug while Sakamoto waited for her score.
The bronze medal went to Japan’s 17-year-old Ami Nakai, who was in first after the short program and completed a technical program that included a triple Axel. Japan’s Mona Chiba was fourth with a 217.88.
Fellow U.S. skater Amber Glenn finished fifth, an incredible comeback after missing a jump in the short program to fall to 13th place entering the free skate. She nailed her triple Axel and skated to a 147.52 for 214.91 total. USA’s Isabeau Levito finished 12th with a 202.80.
Already with a team gold medal in hand at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Liu entered the free skate in third place, behind Nakai and Sakamoto. The 2025-26 season has been great for Liu in the free skate, with her improving her score each outing. In her first event, she scored a 128.22, and in the U.S. championships before the Olympics, she earned a 147.80.
That does come with a caveat. At nationals, Liu brought out her Lady Gaga medley, but went back to her ‘MacArthur Park Suite” program for the Olympics. The last time she used it, she scored a 146.70 at the Grand Prix Finals, which she won.
Liu also changed up her outfit for the free skate. At nationals she wore a glittery silver costume, but skated onto the ice in solid gold for the Olympics finale. As she stepped onto the podium, she held her hands out for Nakai and Sakamoto, the three competitors connected briefly before Liu jumped up and down on the top step while they hoisted the American and Japanese flags.
All season, Liu has been doing things her way. She returned to figure skating after two years away with a new manager, control over her music, routines and costumes. She repeatedly shot down questions about what it would mean to win a medal, saying that’s not why she’s here. She didn’t need to win or to beat the Japanese to feel successful, and with that mentality she skated with more freedom and flare than anyone else.
Watch Olympics figure skating on Peacock
When does Alysa Liu skate next?
The 20-year-old will take the ice with figure skating’s other biggest stars for the Exhibition Gala on Saturday.
Alysa Liu free skate elements
Here are the planned elements in Liu’s long program.
- Triple flip
- Triple Lutz + triple toeloop
- Triple Salchow
- Change foot combination spin
- Triple loop
- Fly camel spin
- Triple Lutz + double Axel + double toeloop + sequence
- Triple flip + double toeloop
- Double Axel
- Step sequence
- Choreo sequence
- Layback spin
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