Team USA figure skater Alysa Liu delivered a superb routine to win gold in dramatic fashion, highlighting an action-packed Day 13 at the Milan Cortina Games. Liu secured the first gold medal since 2002,

MILAN (AP) — Alysa Liu had just delivered a near-flawless Olympic free skate on Thursday night, one that left a packed crowd inside the Milano Ice Skating Arena standing and roaring, when a television camera zoomed in on the American star as she was heading off the ice.

The United States, led by captain Hilary Knight, is looking to get its first Olympic gold medal since the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and its second win over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, Canada, led by captain Marie-Philip Poulin, is looking for back-to-back gold medals against the United States.

Alysa Liu lands most difficult combination in women's figure skating competition to post big score, chase gold medal at Olympics originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. She's lighter, happier, freer -- and she's in contention for a figure skating gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Alysa Liu wins gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, marking a triumphant return to figure skating after early retirement.

U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu is central to the story of the 2026 Winter Olympics, but her father's story is a gripping one too.

Day 13 at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics featured dramatic finishes in women's hockey and figure skating -- and gold medals for the United States.

Liu has a frenulum piercing in the tissue that connects her upper lip to her gums, a piece of jewelry that hangs down over her two front teeth and can be spotted whenever she smiles widely. She referred to the piercing as her "smiley" in a video interview with Milwaukee-based NBC affiliate TMJ4 News that was published in January 2026.