Alysa Liu Makes History With Gold Medal Win at 2026 Olympics
Alysa Liu made a golden comeback.
Four years after the figure skater announced her retirement, she was back on the ice at the 2026 Olympics and made history as she won the gold medal in the women’s figure skating final Feb. 19. The win made her the first member of team USA to finish first since Sarah Hughes in 2002 and only the second to place since Sasha Cohen won silver in 2006.
The 20-year-old—who skated to “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer—also managed another feat with her win as Alysa became the first skater to win a gold medal in her 20s since Japan’s Shizuka Arakawa won at the age of 24 at the 2006 winter games.
And the Olympian was clearly overwhelmed by the first place finish at the Milano Cortino games. Alysa reflected on her win while on her way to the medal ceremony, where she was joined by Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai, who won silver and bronze, respectively.
“I just can’t process this. There’s no way,” Alysa said. “I really liked my skate a lot.”
This is Alysa’s second gold at the Winter Olympics as she also won in the figure skating team event on Feb. 8.
After competing in the 2022 Olympics, then 16-year-old Alysa announced she would be retiring from figure skating, explaining at the time that she had achieved the two goals she had set for herself in skating.
Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images
“They were, one, to compete at the Olympics,” she wrote in a since-deleted 2022 Instagram post, “and two, to have fun with my skating friends and everybody else and to have a good time during my journey as a skater. Those were the only two goals I had and once I met them, this year, I decided there was nothing else I wanted to do in skating.”
“Now that I’m done, I can have more time to see my friends and family, which is honestly what I want more than anything right now,” she continued. “I think I choose my friends and family over skating. At the same time, I feel like I did everything I wanted to do in skating. It feels not like a sacrifice–but more like I’m graduating.”
Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images)
However, the urge to skate returned in January 2024 while on a ski trip to Lake Tahoe, Calif., which prompted Alysa to unretire and try her hand at competing once again.
“Two years ago, I went on that ski trip and I missed the adrenaline rush,” Alysa told NBC LA after winning her first gold medal. “And I needed to feel that again and that has brought me here. What I’ve experienced the past two years has been nothing short of just incredible.”
For a look at more unbelievable moments from the 2026 Olympic, keep reading.
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Heartbreak on the Ice
U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn breaks down in tears after missing her triple loop jump during the women’s short program event.
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Gloves Off
Tom Wilson of Canada scuffles with Pierre Crinon of France in a rare Olympic hockey fight.
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Golden Moment
Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen is visibly emotional after winning the country’s first-ever gold medal in Winter Olympic history at the men’s giant slalom event.
He Canling/Xinhua via Getty Images
Across the Finish Line
As the first cross-country skier to represent to Haiti in Olympic history, Stevenson Savart collapses to thunderous applause after finishing the men’s 10km race.
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Bello!
Spanish figure skater Tomas Guarino dresses up as a Minion for his Despicable Me-inspired short program.
Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP via Getty Images
Dog Day Afternoon
A dog wanders onto the track during the women’s team cross country free sprint qualifiers.
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images
Canadian Chaps
Canadian curler Marc Kennedy watches his teammate Brad Jacobs apply lip balm during the men’s round robin match.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Slip Up
U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin, also known as “Quad God,” takes an uncharacteristic fall during the men’s single free skating competition, ultimately landing him in eighth place.
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Head in the Game
German bobsledder Laura Nolte gears up before training for the monobob, the single-person bobsleigh event for women.
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Victory Selfie
Following the women’s snowboard halfpipe competition, Korean snowboarder Gaon Choi poses for picture with Team USA’s Chloe Kim and Mitsuki Ono of Japan taken using the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition.
Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images
From One Olympian to Another
Georgian figure skater Nika Egadze snaps a photo with Simone Biles, the most-decorated gymnast in Olympic history, during the men’s singles figure skating competition.
Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/Getty Images
You’re on Candid Camera
A cameraman films U.S. skiers Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin hugging after the second run of the women’s team combined salom event.
Odd ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images
A Small Gift
French biathlete Lou Jeanmonnot has some fun with plushies of Milan-Cortina Olympics mascots Milo and Tina, which she received as part of winning the silver medal in the women’s biathlon 15km individual event.
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Thinking of Home
Skier Dmytro Shepiuk uses a sticky note to send love to his fellow Ukranians after finishing the men’s super-G event.
WANG Zhao/AFP via Getty Images
Scream and Shout
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto is surprised by her score in the women’s singles free skating team event.
JASPER JACOBS/BELGA MAG/Belga/AFP via Getty Images
All the Emotions
Dutch speedskater Jutta Leerdam wipes tears from her eyes after learning she set an Olympic record in the women’s 1,000-meter race.
Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Big Air
China’s Eileen Gu competes in the women’s freestyle slopestyle—which earned her a silver medal.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
With Him Always
U.S. skater Maxim Naumov holds a photo of his late parents close after competing in the men’s single skating short program.
Hector Vivas/Getty Images
Twists and Turns
A composite image shows off the many tricks seen in the women’s freestyle slopestyle.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Pierogi Power
Polish figure skater Ekaterina Kurakova holds up a plushie of a pierogi—widely considered to be Poland’s national food—as she celebrates with her teammates during the women’s single skating short program.
Tom Weller/Getty Images
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane
No, it’s Team Austria’s ski jumper Julia Muehlbacher.
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Double Trouble
Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp of Austria zoom by during the luge women’s doubles.
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Say Cheese!
The winners of the figure skating team event snap a selfie with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition while on the podium.
Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/GettyImages
Never Give Up
U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn looks determined as she attends a training session days after rupturing her ACL in a crash.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Spin It to Win It
Alysa Liu of the United States performs the Biellmann spin during the women’s single skating short program event.
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images
So Close
Team Great Britain’s Jennifer Dodds has a nail-biting reaction to the curling mixed doubles round robin match against South Korea.
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images
Curl It Like It’s Hot
Snoop Dogg, serving as an Olympics correspondent for NBC, tries his hand at curling at a practice.
Tim Clayton/Getty Images
In Sync
U.S. figure skaters and real-life couple Evan Bates and Madison Chock are a perfect match while performing their rhythm ice dance routine.
Federico Manoni/NurPhoto via Getty Images
On the B-rink of History
Laila Edwards, the first Black woman representing the U.S. in Olympic hockey, faces off against Czech player Sara Cajanova during the United States vs. Czech Republic game.
Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Friendship Knows No Borders
Australian snowboarder Valentino Guseli shares a hug with Team Czechia’s Jakub Hrones during the men’s snowboard big air qualifiers.
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