Alysa Liu brought home a bronze medal for Team USA in the women's singles free skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Japan's Ami Nakai won gold while Kaori Sakamoto took silver as the 17-year-old Nakai produced a brilliant performance to claim the gold medal.
The 20-year-old California native pulled off one of the most impressive comebacks in figure skating. Liu retired after her Olympic debut at 16 in 2022, saying she had lost her love for figure skating. But she returned to the sport and turned heads immediately—she became the first U.S. woman to claim the global crown since Kimmie Meissner in 2006 when she won the 2025 World Championships. Now, her bronze medal at Milan-Cortina adds another major achievement to her second Olympic run. She entered the free skate in third place after a personal-best short program and managed to hold her position despite minor technical issues, marking her first individual Olympic podium finish.
What's most striking about Liu's performance is her mindset. The reigning world champion skated with palpable joy on Tuesday night, scoring a personal-best 76.59 to place third after the short program. She's spoken openly about competing purely for enjoyment rather than stress. This relaxed approach seems to be working—her return to the sport over the past two seasons shows that her love is back, buoyed by her artistic expression, choreography and want to invite more fans into the sport. That's a far cry from the burnout that made her walk away at just 16.
Meanwhile, fellow Team USA skater Amber Glenn faced heartbreak in the short program, finishing in 13th place after a technical error. But Liu's success shows the strength of American figure skating at these Games, especially with the team event gold already secured.