Alysa Liu Wins Olympic Gold in Comeback Performance

Alysa Liu delivered the skate of her life to win Olympic gold in women’s figure skating in one of the sport’s most remarkable comebacks.

The 20-year-old American went into the free skate sitting in third place after mistakes in the short program. But under the bright lights, wearing a shimmering gold dress and skating to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park,” Liu landed all seven of her triple jumps and brought the arena to its feet.

Her free skate score of 150.20 pushed her total to 226.79, enough to edge out Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto for first place. Seventeen-year-old Ami Nakai, who had led after the short program, claimed bronze.

Liu is the first American woman to win Olympic figure skating gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002, and the first US woman to medal at the Games since Sasha Cohen in 2006.

As she stepped off the ice, Liu let her emotions fly. “That’s what I’m fucking talking about,” she said. Later, reflecting on the moment, she added: “I had dinner with [my family] last night and that was unbelievable. But another unbelievable feeling was just when I was skating. When I was skating, hearing the cheers, I felt so connected with this audience. I want to be out there again.”

Liu’s victory completes a journey few could have predicted. A teenage prodigy who became the youngest US national champion at 13, she competed at the Beijing 2022 Olympics before walking away from the sport at just 16 due to burnout.

She spent nearly two years away from competition, going to college, exploring other interests and rediscovering who she was outside of skating. When she chose to return, it was on her own terms.

When asked about how she handled the pressure of the Olympic stage, Liu shrugged it off: “You’re going to have to explain to me what Olympic pressure is. Like, who’s giving it? What’s the pressure?’’

And after winning it all, she made clear the medal wasn’t everything. “I didn’t need a medal,” she said. “If I fell on every jump, I would still be out there wearing this dress, so no matter what, I was all good.’’

Sakamoto retires without the elusive Olympic gold

For Sakamoto, the silver medal marked the end of a decorated career. Skating to Edith Piaf’s “Non, je ne regrette rien,” she delivered a strong final performance but fell just short in technical difficulty.

“I wasn't able to give absolutely everything,” she said. “I was aiming for the gold medal. The frustration of not being able to win it is really hitting me right now. I thought I might be able to finish with a smile, but instead I'm ending it with this sense of frustration. Still, I think feeling this way will be important for the rest of my life.”

Nakai, the youngest competitor in the field, impressed with her trademark triple axel but errors in the second half of her program cost her a shot at gold.

American Amber Glenn mounted a dramatic comeback from 13th after the short program to finish fifth overall. “It wasn’t easy,” Glenn said. “There’s been a bombardment of attacks and hate on me, using my lackluster performance as fuel for hate, and that was disheartening. I just thought, ‘I’m going do what I do best, which is enjoy skating’, and that’s what I did today.”

Meanwhile, Russian champion Adeliia Petrosian fell on a planned quadruple toe loop and slipped to sixth. “I feel a little ashamed,” she said, “for myself, for the federation, for my coaches and for the spectators that it went this way. I understand that it’s my own fault.”

But the night belonged to Liu after years of expectation, burnout and self-discovery.