Clovis-born Alysa Liu delivered the United States its first gold medal in women’s singles figure skating since 2002.
Liu, 20, took home the gold medal on Thursday in Milan, beating out Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto.
The big picture: Liu placed first with a total score of 226.79 points after her free skate on Thursday.
- Sakamoto was close behind at 224.90, with fellow Japanese skater Ami Nakai winning a bronze medal with a score of 219.16.
- Liu entered Thursday in third place in the singles competition after earning a score of 76.59 points in the short program.
Driving the news: Born in Clovis in 2005, Liu moved with her family to the Bay Area, where she launched her figure skating career at the age of five in Oakland.
- She continued to train in Oakland and broke out on the national stage at the age of 13, when she became the youngest person to win the U.S. title.
- At the age of 16, Liu placed sixth at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and retired from figure skating shortly after.
- Two years ago, Liu returned to the ice and won several titles leading up to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
What she’s saying: “I’m very happy with how I skated,” Liu told NBC after the medal ceremony. “[It was an] unbelievable feeling when I was done skating. And when I was skating – hearing the cheers – and I felt so connected with the audience. I want to be out there again.”
