Richmond resident Alysa Liu won gold at the ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Gdansk, Poland, last weekend, earning the right to compete in the Junior Grand Prix Final in December in Torino, Italy, according to U.S. Figure Skating.
In January, at age 13, Liu gained international fame as the youngest lady to win the U.S. Figure Skating championships after performing three clean triple Axels in two routines, making her the first to perform three in the competition’s history.
Now 14 years old, Liu has continued to shine. In August, she won gold at gold at the Junior Grand Prix event in Lake Placid, N.Y., becoming the first American woman to land a quadruple Lutz in competition and becoming the first woman in the world to land a quad and triple Axel in the same program in a competition. She went on to win gold in her junior international debut, topping the field by 21.52 points, according to U.S. Figure Skating.
In Poland, Liu’s 138.99-point performance in the free-skate program “marked a new international-best and topped the field by over 10 points,” the organization said. “With a total score of 203.10, Liu captured her second gold medal and punched her ticket to Torino.”
For a full report by U.S. Figure Skating on her performance, click here.
In July, Liu was honored at Richmond Mayor Tom Butt’s State of the City address, where she told Standard reporter Mike Kinney, “If you want to skate too, you can; just follow your dreams. Don’t let anybody make you do it. And don’t do it for them. Do it for yourself.”
More about Team USA can be viewed at U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.
