The two-time Olympian followed up her stunning short program performance from earlier in the week with another phenomenal performance in the free skate on Thursday, Feb. 19 inside the Milano Skating Stadium. She received a plethora of applause from those inside the arena as she won her second Olympic gold medal of the 2026 Winter Games.
Not only was it another stunning performance from Liu, but it was also one that spoke volumes off the ice, as it comes two years after she announced a comeback to figure skating following a two-year break after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
It was also a historic moment for Liu when she stepped onto the podium, as she was the first U.S. woman to win an individual Olympic medal in figure skating since 2006, when Sasha Cohen took home silver at the Turin Winter Games. It is also the first individual Olympic gold medal for a U.S. woman since Sarah Hughes’ gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.
‘I can’t process this, there’s no way,’ Liu said on the broadcast as she walked into the tunnel after being announced as the new Olympic champion.
Given her comeback and the back-to-back performances she gave in Milan, Liu received quite the positive reaction and congratulatory messages on social media. She’ll return to the United States with two Olympic gold medals, as Team USA won back-to-back gold medals in the team event earlier in the Winter Olympics.
Social media reacts to Alysa Liu’s Olympic gold medal win
Here’s a snippet of those reactions following Liu’s free skate performance that helped win her an Olympic gold medal: