Alysa Liu hadn’t even checked her phone. She didn’t know who had called, who had texted, or who had screamed at their television when her gold-medal score flashed onto the screen. But she knew exactly who she wanted to call first.
“My siblings,” she said, laughing. “They have no idea [what] is happening.”
No one really did. Liu’s win at the world figure skating championships before a sold-out TD Garden crowd was historic the first by an American woman in 19 years. She scored international personal bests in both the short program and free skate, finishing with 222.97 points over both segments to dethrone Kaori Sakamoto, the popular three-time defending world champion from Japan. Nearly three years after stepping away from the sport, Liu returned stronger than ever.
Kimmie Meissner’s 2006 world title came just weeks after the Torino Olympics, during a period when the world championships often go unnoticed. Liu’s victory arrives with the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics only 10 months away, instantly transforming her from a feel-good comeback story to a leading medal favorite and one of the faces of the U.S. Winter Olympic team.
Were she to win a medal in Milan, Liu would become the first American woman to reach the Olympic podium since Sasha Cohen’s silver in 2006. Before that, it was Sarah Hughes’ gold and Michelle Kwan’s bronze in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Over the span of three days, the conversation around U.S. women’s skating has shifted. What was once seen as a drought now looks like an opportunity for Liu to make her mark.
“That was the best performance I’ve laid down all season, even my practice programs have not been that good,” she said. “I really thought if I did clean skates I’d be hopefully top 10, definitely not first. This moment is so unreal, that’s the only word I can use to describe it.”
Liu didn’t just meet expectations she redefined them. For the former child prodigy, it’s no longer about chasing medals or proving herself to others. It’s about expression, fulfillment, and skating on her own terms.
“I didn’t have expectations coming in,” she said. “I never have expectations coming into competitions anymore. It’s more so, ‘What can I put out performance-wise?’ I really met my expectations on my part.”
She added, “Everything that I have been through, my time away and all that. This time around I’m so happy, I guess. I’m mostly glad that I could put out two of my best performances, and I am really happy with how things went today.”
That mindset took shape during her two-year break from the sport. After winning bronze at the 2022 world championships, Liu stunned the skating world by announcing her retirement. She had made the decision privately months earlier and then shared it publicly before anyone could convince her otherwise.
“I’m going to be moving on with my life,” she wrote.
During her time away, she rediscovered life outside the rink hiking in the Himalayas, traveling with family, and starting school at UCLA. But a spontaneous ski trip to Lake Tahoe changed everything.
Gliding downhill with friends, feeling the wind in her face, she felt something familiar: joy in motion. “I love sports. I like moving. I also love music and I love dancing,” she realized. “That’s literally skating.”
Back in Los Angeles, while balancing school at UCLA, Liu started skating once a week at public sessions in El Segundo. To her surprise, the jumps came back. The pull of the ice was undeniable.
“If there’s days where you just want to be on the ice for fun when it’s not planned in your training schedules,” she said, “I feel like that’s kind of when you know you still like it.” And she did.
Soon, skating for fun turned into skating with purpose. She entered a small competition in Budapest and won. Then Zagreb and won again. She nearly captured the U.S. title, finishing just behind Amber Glenn. And in Boston, she delivered seven clean triples, skated to Donna Summer in a gold-sequined dress, and cartwheeled onto the ice before her short program and medal ceremony.
Liu became the 14th American woman to win a world title, helping Team USA secure three Olympic quota spots for the 2026 Games. With Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn finishing fourth and fifth, it was the strongest collective U.S. women’s showing at a world championships since 2001.
“Go Team USA. That’s all I can say,” Liu said. “I’m so proud of both Isabeau and Amber for putting up such great performances and such great fight.”
Sakamoto, who stood on the podium with Liu in 2022, praised her growth. “She went away and now she’s back and the world champion,” she said. “Her cheerfulness and kindness and the way she’s always happy brought her to the top step of the podium.”
Liu isn’t thinking too far ahead, but the rest of the sport is. She’s no longer just a comeback story she’s a contender.
“I have never regretted anything in my life every decision that I made, I am glad that I did,” she said. “It all brought me to this moment.”
A moment she met with wide eyes, a gold medal, and one perfectly chaotic exclamation: What the hell?
