US figure skater Alysa Liu on how joy helped her get Olympic gold

U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu couldn’t be happier with how her free skate routine turned out, and the judges agreed she won gold at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games on Thursday night.

Joy is an understatement for the 20-year-old who ended a 24-year gold drought for Americans. But that’s exactly what the theme of his free skate was about; the joy of being on the ice in front of the crowd and the millions watching around the world.

After her gold medal-winning performance, Liu told the story she wanted to tell through her skating.

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“What I love to share about myself is my story, my art, and my creative process,” he said NBC News. “I guess screwing up doesn’t make it go away. It’s still a thing, it’s still a story. A bad story is still a story, and I think that’s beautiful.”

“There’s no way to lose.”

With this mindset, Liu can truly skate freely without worrying about failure.

ALYSSA LIU BREAKED USA’S 24-YEAR OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL DROUGHT IN WOMEN’S FIGURE SKATING

Instead, he wanted to work on the crowd throughout the performance, especially those high up in the building.

“I was trying to show off my dress – it’s a new dress. I really like it,” Liu added, looking at her golden dress, which looked very appropriate considering the results. “I was also focused on interacting with the crowd. In between my passes — they’re sitting a little high up — I took some time to really smile at them and give them a little shoulder. Engage with the crowd, and that’s exactly what I did.”

Alysa Liu of the United States will compete in the figure skating women’s single free skate final at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games held at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Milan on February 19, 2026. (Gabriel BOUYS / AFP)

After completing the routine, Liu was beaming and said as she stood with her team, “That’s what I’m talking about!” It was turning into a celebration that he couldn’t help but shout.

Liu won the gold medal with 226.79 points, scoring 150.20 in the free program and 76.59 in the short program. This was Liu’s best score all season.

Although Liu was happy with what she did on the ice, she had to watch Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai finish their free skates to see what the final results would be.

In the end, Liu came out on top, becoming the first American woman to medal in singles figure skating since Sasha Cohen at the 2006 Turin Games. Sarah Hughes was also the last U.S. gold medalist in 2002.

Gold medalist Alysa Liu of Team United States poses for a photo during the Women’s Single Skating medal ceremony at the Milan Ice Skating Arena of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy on February 19, 2026. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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Prior to this performance, Liu quickly won the hearts of Americans by helping the USA win gold in the team competition.

While Liu was looking forward to performing at the Olympic Gala, her competition in Milan ended on a joyful note.

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