Alysa Liu, 20, of the United States, captured the Olympic gold medal in women’s figure skating on Thursday, delivering a commanding performance to hold off Kaori Sakamoto at the Milan Cortina Games.

Liu finished with a score of 150.20 points from the free skate, a total of 226.79 points, securing the title after the skate final. Sakamoto, 25, of Japan, took silver with a free skate score of 147.67 and a total score of 224.90, while Ami Nakai, 17, of Japan, claimed bronze with a free skate score of 140.45 and a total score of 219.16.

Liu, U.S. Olympic team event gold medalist and Clovis-born reigning world champion, had positioned herself for a podium run after a strong short program that earned her 76.59 points, placing her third heading into the final.

Commentators said Liu appeared unfazed by pre-event nerves, describing her as one of the “chillest” athletes at the Olympics. Dressed in gold, she delivered a commanding performance during her routine.

Coming off the ice, she was ecstatic, saying “That is what I’m talking about!”

This marks the United States’ ninth gold medal after the U.S. women’s hockey team defeated Canada in a nail-biting showdown.

Journey to the Final

The 20-year-old’s journey to these Games has been unconventional. A former prodigy who won a U.S. title at age 13 and became the third American woman to land a triple axel in competition, Liu stepped away from the sport at 16 after placing seventh at the Beijing Olympics. She returned two years later and, less than a year after resuming training, won the World Championships.

Her connection to her roots remained on display in Milan. Leaving the ice after her short program, Liu gave a shoutout to her hometown of Oakland.

“We are thrilled for Alysa and proud that she is celebrating her incredible accomplishments” commented Peter Gamez, President & CEO of Visit Oakland. “Alysa makes Oakland shine and it is wonderful that she shares her love for The Town with a global audience. Her spirit is a true representation of our community. Oakland is filled with amazing people – who like Alysa, demonstrate Oakland pride with full hearts. They are the magic of our destination.”

Heading into Thursday’s free skate, the competition was fierce. Japan’s Nakai led the field after Tuesday’s short program with 78.71 points, followed closely by Sakamoto with 77.23. Mone Chiba of Japan sat in fourth with 74 points, just outside the medal positions.

Other Americans Competing

The American contingent also included Isabeau Levito, 18, of Philadelphia and Amber Glenn, 26, of Plano, Texas.

Glenn, who had to fight back from a 13th-place standing after failing a planned double loop in the short program, finished fifth.

Glenn rebounded from a shaky short program with a stunning free skate performance. A commentator praised her triple axel, the most difficult element in the routine, as the best they had ever seen from her. Near the end of her program, Glenn reached for the ice to steady herself after a jump, and immediately after her performance, she mouthed “so close” to the crowd.

Her effort earned 147.52 free skate points, total of 214.91 points including the short program , putting her in first place at the time of her skate, edging out North Korea’s Shin Ji-a, who scored 141.02 points from the free skate, total of 206.46 points.

Levito, who stood eighth after the short program, finished 12th overall.

Levito skated a few skaters after Glenn and fell on her opening jump, a mistake commentators called uncharacteristic for the skater they had just described as moving like falling snowflakes. She quickly recovered, landing the remainder of her routine cleanly, and slotted into seventh place at the time with a free skate score of 131.96 and a total score of 202.80.

The top 24 skaters from the short program had advanced to Thursday’s free skate, with combined scores determining the medalists.

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