Liu also won gold in the team event at on Feb. 8 at the Milan Games

Alysa Liu wins gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.Credit : Gabriel BOUYS / AFP via Getty

Alysa Liu was golden from start to finish in the women’s figure skating final!

The 20-year-old Team USA star won a gold medal following a stellar free skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy on Thursday, Feb. 19, her second gold of the Games after winning the team event on Feb. 8.

Her total score was 226.79, enough to push her ahead of Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, who finished with a silver medal and a score of 224.90. Liu’s win marked the first time since Sarah Hughes in 2002 that Team USA took home the gold in women’s figure skating.

Liu dazzled in a gold dress as she skated to “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, putting on a dominant performance as the third-to-last skater of the night.

Liu looked jazzed after she completed her program, giving the camera a sassy hair flip and sharing big hugs with her coach.

“That’s what I’m f—ing talking about!” she said to the camera as she celebrated her successful program.

Alysa Liu at the Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 19, 2026.Joosep Martinson/Getty

Liu competed alongside her fellow American skaters Amber Glenn, who delivered a dominant redemption skate after underperforming in Tuesday’s short program, and Isabeau Levito, who finished with a score of 202.80 on Thursday.

Men’s figure skating star Ilia Malinin was in attendance to support Liu and was seen on the broadcast cheering on his Team USA teammate after her program.

Two nights before the final, Liu finished second in the short program and told reporters, including PEOPLE, she was “really happy” with her performance and that she’s “proud” of what she brought to the Olympics.

Liu shared that she had multiple family members in attendance for the short program on Tuesday, and revealed that she couldn’t remember the last time some of her immediate family had seen her perform live since before the Milan Games.

Alysa Liu competes at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.Matthew Stockman/Getty

She also admitted to reporters that she didn’t even know where she stood in the rankings — and that she didn’t really care. When asked if her coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo, was aware she’s not concerned with her rank, Liu said DiGuglielmo “knows” who she is and that he doesn’t pressure her to focus on scores.

Liu’s golden moment was a long time coming for the star, who shocked the nation in 2022 when she announced her retirement at just 16 years old, months after she competed in the Beijing Winter Olympics. She said she’d fallen out of love with the sport — but was back by 2024.

After Tuesday’s performance, Liu said she was especially emotional during her program as her siblings were in the building for the first time this Olympics to watch her skate.

“That was very special,” she said. “I literally could not tell you [the last time they’ve seen me skate live]. They’re skipping school for this.”

She continued: “I’m just really grateful for it all, the good and the bad,” the gold medalist continued. It’s what shaped me and I would not change a thing. I want to keep growing. I just want to keep experiencing new things.”