Bay Area's Alysa Liu Wins First U.S. Olympic Gold In Women's Figure Skating In Decades

OAKLAND, CA — Alysa Liu has etched her name in Team USA Olympic history after her win Thursday at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

Liu, who trains out of Oakland and is a Bay Area resident, is the first American woman to win the Olympic figure skating gold medal in 24 years. The 20-year-old is also the first American woman to win any medal for singles figure skating in two decades.

"THAT'S OUR GOLDEN GIRL," U.S. Figure Skating tweeted on Xfollowing Liu's win. "A COMEBACK FOR THE AGES," The official USA Olympic Team account wrote.

Team USA's last big win in women's figure skating came at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, when Sasha Cohen won silver. Sarah Hughes was the last American woman to win the gold for Team USA at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Liu headed into the competition on Thursday in third place. She had previously said her focus wasn't necessarily on winning a medal, but on showing up and demonstrating what she can do on the ice.

Donning a sparkling gold dress, Liu glided her way across the ice to Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park" during a free skate performance and into first place.

Following her performance, Liu skated back into her bench with unbridled joy. She sat down with her team and could be seen trying to contain her excitement at her performance.

When judges showed the scores, the crowd erupted. A smiling Liu, showing off her frenulum piercing, stood up from her seat, raised her arms, pointed at the crowd and made a heart with her hands.

"Congrats to BART rider and Oakland legend Alysa Liu on winning a gold medal at the Olympics and making the Bay Area proud!" The official BART account also posted on X.

The 20-year-old has become a fan favorite at the Olympics in part for her unique style, which includes a piercing over her teeth and horizontal highlights in her hair.

The Oakland Zoo shouted out Liu earlier this month, asking, on behalf of their lemurs, if she wanted to be their Valentine's.

"You're just our type," the zoo said, congratulating Liu for her win earlier in the team event.

Liu is no stranger to the Olympic stage. She made her Olympic debut in 2022 when she was 16 years old. She finished sixth at the Olympics, and after winning a bronze medal at the World Championships, she quit the sport.

She launched her comeback in 2024 and won the hearts of fans everywhere just two years later in Milan.