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| Figure skater Aysa Liu loves the audience applause after her gold medal performance. |
If you weren’t already a member of the Alysa Liu fan club, her performance Thursday night in Milan probably fixed that.
The 20-year-old from the Bay Area didn’t just win an Olympic gold medal; she reclaimed the joy of a sport that she once walked away from, and she did it with a "megawatt smile" that lit up the entire Milano Ice Skating Arena at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Liu’s victory is more than just a personal win — it’s a historic moment for Team USA. She is the first American woman to stand atop the individual Olympic podium since Sarah Hughes in 2002. For those of us keeping track, that’s 24 years of waiting, finally ended by a skater who prioritizes fun as much as her footwork.
Coming into the free skate in third place, Liu was the picture of "calm, cool, and collected." Dressed in a shimmering gold outfit that seemed to predict the final result, she delivered a masterclass to Donna Summer’s disco classic "MacArthur Park."
After her final pose, Liu didn’t collapse in exhaustion. Instead, she gave a casual flip of her ponytail and a shrug, as if to say, "Yeah, that's done. Time to go hit a karaoke bar."
She leaves Milan with two gold medals—one from the team event and this historic individual title—and a reminder to all of us that the best performances happen when you’re truly having fun.
As she told reporters after winning gold, "I choose to be here ... I love that I was able to come back and choose my own destiny."
Liu’s victory is more than just a personal win — it’s a historic moment for Team USA. She is the first American woman to stand atop the individual Olympic podium since Sarah Hughes in 2002. For those of us keeping track, that’s 24 years of waiting, finally ended by a skater who prioritizes fun as much as her footwork.
Coming into the free skate in third place, Liu was the picture of "calm, cool, and collected." Dressed in a shimmering gold outfit that seemed to predict the final result, she delivered a masterclass to Donna Summer’s disco classic "MacArthur Park."
Her priorities
From her opening triple flip to her closing combinations, Liu was virtually perfect. She racked up a career-best 150.20 in the free skate for a total of 226.79, enough to edge out Japan’s powerhouse skaters Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai.
After her final pose, Liu didn’t collapse in exhaustion. Instead, she gave a casual flip of her ponytail and a shrug, as if to say, "Yeah, that's done. Time to go hit a karaoke bar."
Fans caught a real moment of triumph on camera as she stepped off the ice, she looked straight into the camera and exclaimed, "That’s what I’m f***ing talking about!" [Note: Viral social media moment]. It was the kind of unfiltered joy we love to see from an athlete who has truly found her voice.
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Skating is something she enjoys, but it is not the most important thing about her life. After her performance she was interviewed by NBC and she barely talked about her her skating:
"Going into this free skate, I have this new dress I was very excited to share on the big stage, and I'm very happy with how I skated.
"I had dinner with (my family) last night and that was unbelievable. But another unbelievable feeling was just when I was skating. When I was skating, hearing the cheers, I felt so connected with this audience. I want to be out there again.
"All I want in my life is human connection and, damn, now I am connected with a hell of a ton of people (laughs)."
"Going into this free skate, I have this new dress I was very excited to share on the big stage, and I'm very happy with how I skated.
"I had dinner with (my family) last night and that was unbelievable. But another unbelievable feeling was just when I was skating. When I was skating, hearing the cheers, I felt so connected with this audience. I want to be out there again.
"All I want in my life is human connection and, damn, now I am connected with a hell of a ton of people (laughs)."
Life is more than the medals
For Liu, this journey back to the ice after her brief retirement in 2022 wasn't about the hardware. As she told reporters while her gold medal hung around her neck: "I don't need this... what I needed was the stage."
She leaves Milan with two gold medals—one from the team event and this historic individual title—and a reminder to all of us that the best performances happen when you’re truly having fun.
As she told reporters after winning gold, "I choose to be here ... I love that I was able to come back and choose my own destiny."
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge.
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