On Thursday, February 19, Alysa Liu completed one of American figure skating’s sharpest comebacks, capturing women’s singles Olympic gold at Milano Cortina 2026 with a winning total of 226.79 — a title secured on the night of the free skate, then sealed at the victory ceremony.
On Thursday, February 19, Alysa Liu completed one of American figure skating’s sharpest comebacks, capturing women’s singles Olympic gold at Milano Cortina 2026 with a winning total of 226.79 — a title secured on the night of the free skate, then sealed at the victory ceremony.
February 19, 2026
Alysa Liu’s Milano Cortina 2026 moment moves like figure skating in fast forward: prodigy, pause, then a return guided by freedom and clarity. Born on August 8, 2005, in Clovis, California, and training out of Oakland, Alysa Liu grew into the sport’s bright American spark: compact, quick, and technically fearless. Even early on, her résumé carried history, with U.S. titles earned as a young teenager, a trailblazing quad Lutz, and a Beijing 2022 Olympic debut that signaled a bigger horizon.
Then came the plot twist. On April 9, 2022, Liu stepped away from competitive skating, describing her goals as complete and her life as ready to expand beyond the rink. Two years later, she returned on her own terms, and the sport witnessed something rare: an athlete re entering the spotlight with sharper taste, stronger boundaries, and a deeper sense of purpose.
The comeback reached a defining milestone in March 2025, when Alysa Liu won the World Figure Skating Championships, closing a long U.S. women’s wait for a world title and proving her second act held substance as well as story. This season she carried that momentum while balancing college life, enrolling at UCLA in 2023, then turning Milan into her boldest punctuation.
After placing third in the short program on February 17, 2026, Liu attacked the math with musicality, skating to Laufey’s “Promise.” Her short program scored 76.59, built on clean triples and a high value triple Lutz to triple loop combination. Two nights later, she delivered the free skate of her career: 150.20 points, with 72.46 in program components and deductions at 0.00. The total, 226.79, lifted her from third to first and crowned her Olympic champion.
What made the victory feel so current was the strategy. Alysa Liu leaned into immaculate triples, calm landings, and a performance that breathed, with Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park Suite” delivering drama, swagger, and release. Her biggest number came from a triple Lutz plus double Axel plus double toe loop sequence that reached 12.98 points, a snapshot of efficiency at full speed.
Her double gold week began even earlier. On February 6, Alysa Liu’s women’s short program points helped Team USA rise to the top of the team event standings, and the United States finished first overall with 69 team points.
