U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu delivered an effortless performance in the women's short program at the Olympics on Wednesday, much to her coach's monumental delight.
As captured by NBC cameras, Liu's coach was seen throwing his head back in joy and pumping his fist in excitement as his charge hit a beautiful triple jump-triple loop combination out on the ice.
That's exactly the kind of energy we want to see at the Olympics. Take a peek at that moment below:
From the boards to the final pose — Alysa Liu's coaches’ reactions say everything.#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/RZ7O2K09Qg
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 18, 2026
Liu finished her short program in third (76.59), behind Japan's Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto. Her fellow "Blade Angels" were further down the leaderboard—Isabeau Levito finished in eighth with a score of 70.84, while Amber Glenn fell to 13th (67.39) after bailing on a jump.
"I am really happy about how I skated. My last spin felt really awesome," Liu said following her performance. “I felt super grounded, and I connected with my program on another level compared to the rest of the season."
She will get her chance at a medal in the women's free skate on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET.
More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated
- Penguins Coach Shares Live Reaction to Sidney Crosby Getting Hurt in Olympics
- Mikaela Shiffrin Reflects on Gold Medal Win in Heartfelt Social Media Post
- Jon Cooper Shares His Message to Team Canada After Sidney Crosby's Injury vs. Czechia
- Amber Glenn Makes Light of Unfortunate Skating Mistake in Funny TikTok Post
- Mikaela Shiffrin Vanquishes Olympic Nightmare by Reminding Us of Her Greatness
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alysa Liu's Skating Coach Had the Best Reaction to Her Stunning Short Program Routine.
