Alysa Liu is officially a gold medalist.
The 20-year-old captured her first Olympic individual medal on Thursday after her outstanding free skate performance. Her flawless routine earned her a score of 150.20, bringing her grand total from both the short program and free skate to 226.79.
ALYSA LIU YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE. 😍 #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/3btj1WEQCp
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 19, 2026
Liu was understandably hyped after her routine as she was beaming with happiness and pride while she skated off the ice. She yelled at the camera with excitement, and then jumped for joy when celebrating with her coaches.
Liu ends a 20-year drought for American female figure skaters medaling in the individual event. Sarah Hughes was the last to do so in 2002 when she won gold. And, to think that Liu previously retired from figure skating at age 16 and didn’t return for over two years.
Japan’s Ami Nakai finished third and Kaori Sakamoto finished second.
Liu’s American teammates Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito performed amazing routines on Thursday, too. Glenn finished fifth after being a medal-hopeful. Her short program slip-up caused her to drop lower in the rankings. She was in the lead for a good chunk of Thursday’s event because of her free skate score of 147.52. Levito finished 12th after her 131.96 free skate score.
Liu walks away from the Milan Cortina Olympics with two medals as Team USA won gold in the team event during the first week.
Women’s figure skating results
Gold: Alysa Liu (USA)—226.79
Silver: Kaori Sakamoto (JPN)—224.90
Bronze: Ami Nakai (JPN)—219.16
More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated
- Why Alysa Liu Retired From Figure Skating and Came Back to Win Olympic Gold
- Gold Hair, Gold Dress, Gold Medal: Alysa Liu Radiates Joy As Olympic Champion
- Alysa Liu Shared Classy Moment With Ami Nakai, Amber Glenn After Winning Olympic Gold
- Kenny Albert Had Iconic Call of Megan Keller’s Gold Medal-Winning Goal for Team USA
- Megan Keller’s Gold-Medal Winning Goal Left Team USA Ice Hockey Coach in Tears
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alysa Liu Wins Gold Individual Medal in Flawless Fashion in Women’s Figure Skating.
