Alysa Liu, the endearing free spirit from California's Bay Area, capped her unlikely comeback to the sport after a two-year break with a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the first for a U.S. woman since Sarah Hughes' win at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
Amber Glenn, the three-time and reigning U.S. champion, stormed back from a disappointing short program to place third in the free skate and fifth overall, while Isabeau Levito finished sixth.
Sasha Cohen's silver-medal finish at the 2006 Games in Torino, Italy, marked the last time a U.S. woman had earned an Olympic medal; a total of eight U.S. women now have won Olympic titles.
"Going into this free skate, I have a new dress that I was very excited to share on the big stage. I'm happy with how I skated. My family and I had dinner last night that was unbelievable. Another unbelievable feeling was hearing the cheers when I was skating, when I was done skating. I felt so connected with the audience. I want to be out there again." — Alysa Liu
Liu's exuberant step and choreographic sequences to "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer were as impressive as her jumps, and two of her three supple and well-centered spins gained Level 4s, as did her step sequence. Her free skate score, 150.20 points, is a season-high as well as the highest women's free skate score in the world so far this season. It lifted her from third after the short program to first overall with an international personal best total score of 226.79 points.
The reigning World and Grand Prix Final champion posted big scores of 11.53 points for her triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination and 12.98 points for her bonus-time triple Lutz-double Axel-double toe loop sequence.
She and Glenn become the first two U.S. women to finish in the top five at the Olympics since 2002, when Hughes, Michelle Kwan and Cohen placed first, third and fourth, respectively. It is also the second gold medal for Liu, who helped Team USA claim the team event earlier in the Games.
Liu, who piloted this storybook comeback on her own terms, said it's her journey that means the most to her, over titles and medals.
"It's doing stuff that people tell you you shouldn't do. I've been doing a lot of that. But you also have to find a good team. I've been so grateful to find such great support around me. My friends really hold me down. I have a beautiful life story and I feel lucky. I'm glad that a lot of people are now watching me so that I could show them everything that I've come up with in my brain, share my stories. I want to be a storyteller of sorts." — Alysa Liu
Liu, now 20, vaulted to two U.S. titles in 2019 and 2020 as a young teenager, largely on the strength of her triple Axel and triple-triple combinations. She placed sixth at the 2022 Beijing Games and won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Figure Skating Championships before retiring to explore other interests, including traveling and studying at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"Well, I'm not really a skater; I really do feel like I'm more of an artist. So my reality is a little bit different than what maybe the general public imagines it to be or perceives it to be. So, my decisions make, actually, a lot of sense, if you think about what I like to do, and I guess my goals." — Alysa Liu
That unconventional attitude and free-wheeling approach has fueled all of the skater's performances at major competitions since her return for the 2024-25 season, including wins at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2025 and ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2025.
"I'm only here because I like it. It would be a problem if I didn't have joy." — Alysa Liu
Glenn's Redemptive Free Skate
Glenn, who won gold alongside Liu in the team event, called her short program "soul-crushing." Her free skate, set to Audiomachine's "I Will Find You" and "The Return" by Clann, was everything: dynamic, affirming and redemptive, scoring 147.52 points, a season's best. Her total score of 214.91 was also a new season's best.
"We saw some absolutely fantastic skating, some upsets, some disappointment and I have a little bit of all that. I was proud of the performance I was able to put out today. Of course, there were some small mistakes, but I feel like I handled myself well. There were many, many things that I was having to struggle with to get to where I am today in that performance, but I'm happy with how I was able to conclude this Olympics." — Amber Glenn
The 2024 Grand Prix Final champion opened with a superb triple Axel, one of only two women in the event to hit the three-and-a-half revolution jump, tallying a grade of execution of 2.40. She followed with five other solid jump elements, including a triple loop-double Axel-double Axel sequence that was her highest-scoring element of the program at 13.98 points. Glenn also earned Level 4 credit for all three of her spins.
Levito Finishes Sixth
Isabeau Levito delivered a moving performance to Cinema Paradiso but had an under-rotation on a triple Lutz in the free skate that dropped her from fourth after the short program to sixth overall. Despite the result, the New Jersey native — competing in her first Olympic Games — showed remarkable composure throughout the week.
"What I said to Isabeau is that she looked so beautiful and that she had such determination and fight." — Amber Glenn
For full results, visit the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 Competition Central.
