Alysa Liu secured the Olympic gold medal in women’s figure skating at the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina, marking the first U.S. victory in women’s figure skating since Sarah Hughes’ gold at Salt Lake City 2002, according to Olympics.com.
The 20-year-old skater delivered a career-best performance to “MacArthur Park,” totaling 226.79 points to defeat her closest competitors. The victory completes a remarkable journey for Liu, who returned to the sport in 2024 after a two-year retirement.
Liu’s victory is also a point of pride for Richmond, where she resided with her family for a time. In 2019, a 13-year-old Liu was honored with a city proclamation during Mayor Tom Butt’s State of the City address following her historic first national title. The former mayor, along with current Mayor Eduardo Martinez, honored her latest victory in separate social media posts.
