OAKLAND, Calif. — Oakland will be hosting a rally and celebration on Thursday in honor of hometown hero and Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu.
ABC7 Eyewitness News will be streaming the event live in the media player above or wherever you stream us.
If you plan on heading to the rally, it will be free and takes place at City Hall’s Frank Ogawa Plaza at noon.
“This rally is a celebration not just of an extraordinary champion, but of everything our community represents: grit, excellence, and the belief that Oakland always punches above its weight,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said. “Come out and celebrate one of our own.”
Liu was born in Clovis and spent much of her life in Richmond and Oakland, where she trains and where she attended the Oakland School for the Arts.
MORE: Oakland’s Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu inspires young athletes at her local ice rink
Since her Olympic victory and her international shoutout to Oakland on live television, the town has been abuzz with feel-good Alysa Liu vibes, with people gathering on Telegraph Avenue at a newly painted mural of her holding a gold medal to take selfies and chat about the local-girl-made-good.
The vibes are so good, in fact, that the City Hall celebration is expected to be popular and, while free, requires reservations, which people can get online at www.visitoakland.com/alysa-liu.
Liu is scheduled to give some remarks at the event, which is billed as family-friendly, alcohol-free, and will include food trucks.
Security will be tight and attendees should give themselves a little extra time to account for security screenings.
Gates open at 9 a.m.
“Alysa Liu is Oakland — her drive, her brilliance, her joy,” Lee said. “Watching her claim gold for our city and our country filled every Oaklander with pride, and we are overjoyed to welcome her home.”
FROM THE ARCHIVE: Oakland’s Alysa Liu was making history at 13 and had Olympic dreams
ABC7 News reporter Lyanne Melendez spoke with Oakland’s own Alysa Liu in 2019 when she was just 13, and thinking about her future Olympic dreams.
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