Alysa Liu wins women’s free skate gold at 2026 Winter Olympics

American figure skater Alysa Liu delivered a headline-making performance to win gold in the women’s free skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics, ending a long Olympic drought for the United States.

The 20-year-old clinched the title at the Milan Cortina Games on Thursday with a powerful free skating routine set to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park”, vaulting to the top of the women’s figure skating standings.

Her victory ends a 20-year Olympic medal drought for US women in figure skating and marks the first individual Olympic gold by an American woman in the discipline in 24 years.

Comeback turns into Olympic glory

Liu’s triumph is particularly striking given her recent return to elite competition. The 2025 world champion had stepped away from the sport after the 2022 Beijing Olympics before mounting a comeback that culminated in Olympic gold.

Her women’s free skate performance proved decisive in one of the most closely watched figure skating events of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Oakland ready to celebrate its champion

Leaders in Liu’s hometown of Oakland, California, said the city is preparing to honour the newly crowned Olympic champion upon her return.

Mayor Barbara Lee praised Liu’s achievement, calling her a symbol of determination and ambition for young people.

“Alysa embodies everything we love about Oakland – the heart, the determination, the refusal to back down,” Lee said.

From Bay Area rinks to the Olympic podium

Liu studied at the Oakland School of the Arts and trained at the Oakland Ice Center during her rise through US figure skating.

Her gold medal in the women’s free skate reshapes the women’s figure skating results at the Milan Cortina Games and cements her place among the leading names in American figure skating history.

The result also delivers one of Team USA’s biggest moments of the 2026 Winter Olympics.