U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu skated the free program of her life, coming from third after the short program to win the gold medal at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. Her free-skate score of 150.2 was the largest she's ever posted in competition.
Liu becomes the first U.S. women's figure skater to medal since 2006 (Sasha Cohen, silver) and the first to win gold since Sarah Hughes in Salt Lake City in 2002, who came from fourth to win in the free skate. Japan took silver and bronze, going to Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai, respectively. American Amber Glenn rebounded from a poor short program to post the third-best free skate, advancing from 13th to fifth.
Liu's story is remarkable, having retired from the sport at 16 after finishing sixth in Beijing, and with the Chinese Communist Party pressing hard for her to compete for her father's native country. Her father was a reform activist in China before, during and after the Tiananmen Square massacre, who fled to the U.S. After a little more than two years off, Liu retuned to skating with a new, relaxed attitude and won the 2025 World Championship. Now she's an American icon.
My take: A stunning program and a shining moment of the Games. Television ruins figure skating — all one can see are the jumps and spins. If you ever have the opportunity to see it live, go. The speed, power, grace and athleticism is unreal — the height on the jumps can't be appreciated on TV. The ability to maintain everything over four minutes is mind-boggling.
THE ASYLUM
Liu's golden moment
U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu skated the free program of her life, coming from third after the short program to win the gold medal at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. Her free-skate score of 150.2 was the largest she's ever posted in competition.
Here's the YouTube link to watch the full program.
Liu becomes the first U.S. women's figure skater to medal since 2006 (Sasha Cohen, silver) and the first to win gold since Sarah Hughes in Salt Lake City in 2002, who came from fourth to win in the free skate. Japan took silver and bronze, going to Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai, respectively. American Amber Glenn rebounded from a poor short program to post the third-best free skate, advancing from 13th to fifth.
Liu's story is remarkable, having retired from the sport at 16 after finishing sixth in Beijing, and with the Chinese Communist Party pressing hard for her to compete for her father's native country. Her father was a reform activist in China before, during and after the Tiananmen Square massacre, who fled to the U.S. After a little more than two years off, Liu retuned to skating with a new, relaxed attitude and won the 2025 World Championship. Now she's an American icon.
My take: A stunning program and a shining moment of the Games. Television ruins figure skating — all one can see are the jumps and spins. If you ever have the opportunity to see it live, go. The speed, power, grace and athleticism is unreal — the height on the jumps can't be appreciated on TV. The ability to maintain everything over four minutes is mind-boggling.
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