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American figure skater Alysa Liu couldn’t be happier with the result of her free skate routine, and the judges agreed when she won gold Thursday night at the 2026 Cortina Games in Milan.
Joy is an understatement for the 20-year-old who ended a 24-year golden 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 of spectators around the world.
After his gold medal-winning performance, Liu explained the story he wanted to tell with his skate.
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USA’s Alysa Liu reacts after competing in the women’s individual figure skating free skate final during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on February 19, 2026. (WANG Zhao/AFP)
“What I like to share about myself is my story, my art and my creative process,” he told NBC News. “I guess being wrong doesn’t take away from that. It’s still something, it’s still a story. A bad story is still a story, and I think that’s beautiful.
“There is no way to lose.”
With that mindset, Liu can truly skate freely, without worrying about failure.
ALYSSA LIU BREAKS TEAM USA’S 24-YEAR OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL DROUGHT IN WOMEN’S FIGURE SKATING
Instead, he wanted to work with the crowd throughout the performance, specifically mentioning those in the building who were at the top.
“I was trying to show off my dress; this is a new dress. I really like it,” Liu added, looking at her gold dress that seemed very tight considering the results. “I also focused on interacting with the audience. In between my transitions (they’re sitting up high a little bit) I really took a moment to smile at them, give them a little shoulder. Interact with the crowd, and I did that.”
USA’s Alysa Liu competes in the women’s individual figure skating free skate final during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on February 19, 2026. (Gabriel BOUYS/AFP)
Liu’s joy was radiant after completing the routine, erupting into a celebration in which she couldn’t help but shout, “That’s what I’m talking about!” while standing with her team.
Liu finished with a score of 226.79 to win the gold medal after scoring 150.20 in the free program and 76.59 in the short program. It was the best result Liu has achieved all season.
While Liu was happy with what she did on the ice, she still had to watch Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai finish their free skate before seeing what the final results would be.
In the end, Liu came out on top, becoming the first American woman since Sasha Cohen at the 2006 Torino Games to medal in individual figure skating. Sarah Hughes was also the last gold medal winner for the United States in 2002.
Gold medalist Alysa Liu of Team USA poses for a photo during the medal ceremony in women’s single skating on day thirteen of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 19, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Prior to this performance, Liu quickly won the hearts of Americans after helping the United States win gold in the team event.
While Liu hopes to perform at the Olympic Gala, her competition in Milan has come to a happy ending.
