Alysa Liu’s dynamic performance in Thursday’s free skate earned her a gold medal, the first for the United States in the women’s individual event since Sarah Hughes in 2002. And she did it on her terms.
“Being able to do it my way on the big stage like this has been my dream,” Liu told NBC News. “And I got to do it in my tour. I got to do it in the team event, and I got to do it tonight for the free skate, and I’m going to do it again for the Olympic Gala. I’m just like, over the moon. I’m the luckiest girl ever. And I’m really grateful.”
It was a stunning performance considering that Liu had retired in skating in 2022. But she made her return, on her terms, in the most spectacular of ways possible.
“I don’t need this, but what I needed was the stage, and I got that,” she told reporters about winning gold. “So it was all good, no matter what happened. I mean, if I fell on every jump, I would still be wearing this dress. So it’s all good.”
The Japanese duo of Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai took home silver and bronze, respectively. But Thursday was all about Liu.