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Team USA’s Alysa Liu wins Olympic figure skating gold

February 19, 2026

MILAN — Alysa Liu became the first American woman to win the Olympic figure skating gold medal in nearly a quarter-century, capturing the Winter Games most prestigious individual title with a program full of the joy that eluded her when she first emerged on the world scene as a 13-year-old sensation.

Liu, four years after she stunned the sport by retiring at age 16 following the 2022 Beijing Olympics, less than two years after she shocked figure skating again by returning to competition, posted season’s best both for free skate (150.80) and overall score (226.79) and then had to wait through the final two skaters, Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, a three-time World champion, and Ami Nakai, the competition’s leader after Tuesday’s short program.

Sakamoto came up just short of Liu with an overall score of 224.90 and when Nakai botched the second half of a triple lutz, double toe-loop combination, the gold medal was essentially Liu’s, making the UCLA student the first U.S. woman gold medalist since Sarah Hughes won at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Nakai held on for the bronze at 219.16

Amber Glenn, the three-time U.S. champion who had a disastrous short program Tuesday, led for much of the night after attempting eight triple jumps, landing seven of them for a program score of 147.52 and overall score of 214.96.

It wasn’t until Japan’s Mone Chiba, skating third in the final group of six skaters, posted a score 217.88 that Glenn relinquished the lead. She finished fifth.

Orange County Register

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Team USA’s Alysa Liu wins Olympic figure skating gold

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