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

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

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

After her gold-medal winning performance, Liu explained the story she wanted to tell with her skate.

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USA’s Alysa Liu reacts after competing in the figure skating women’s single free skating final during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 19, 2026. (WANG Zhao / AFP)

“What I like to share about myself is my story, my art and my creative process,” she told NBC News. “I guess messing up 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’s no way to lose.”

With that mindset, Liu can truly skate free, not worrying about failure.

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

Instead, she wanted to work the crowd throughout the performance, specifically mentioning those in the building who were up high.

“I was trying to show off my dress — this is a new dress. I really like it,” Liu added, looking down at her gold dress that seemed very fitting considering the results. “I was also focused on engaging with the audience. In between my transitions — they’re kinda seated high up — I really took a moment to smile at them, give them a little shoulder. Engage with the crowd, and I did just that.”

USA’s Alysa Liu competes in the figure skating women’s single free skating final during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 19, 2026. (Gabriel BOUYS / AFP)

Liu’s joy was beaming after completing the routine, erupting into a celebration where she couldn’t help but yell, “That’s what I’m f—ing talking about!,” while with her team.

Liu finished with a 226.79 gold-medal-winning score after notching a 150.20 in the free skate and 76.59 in the short program. It was the best score Liu has put together 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 Turin Games to medal in singles figure skating. Sarah Hughes was also the last gold medal winner for the U.S. in 2002.

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

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Prior to this performance, Liu quickly won the hearts of Americans after helping the U.S. win gold in the team event.

While Liu is looking forward to performing at the Olympic Gala, her competition in Milan has come to a joyous end.

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