<\/p>\n
Alysa Liu was everywhere in 2026, including the Vanity Fair Oscar party.<\/p>\n
Anthony Behar\/Sipa USA\/AP Images<\/p>\n
As figure skater Alysa Liu leaped and spun through the final moments of her free skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February, the disco pulse of Donna Summer\u2019s \u201cMacArthur Park\u201d filling the arena, it was hard to tell what shone brighter: the lights flashing off Liu\u2019s gold-spangled dress or the joy radiating across her face.<\/p>\n
That performance put 20-year-old Liu atop the podium at the Milano Cortina Games\u2014the first such achievement for an American in women\u2019s figure skating in 24 years\u2014and catapulted her to stardom. Soon, Liu was on television screens and magazine covers, at the Met Gala in New York City, in a music video, and presenting an award to Taylor Swift.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud of where I\u2019m from. The people I love are from\u00a0the Bay, and I am who I am because of it. \u2026 We support our people heavy. I\u2019m beyond grateful.\u201d\u2014Alysa Liu<\/p>\n
But much as she seemed unfazed by the pressure of her sport\u2019s biggest stage, Liu hasn\u2019t let the fame go to her head. When asked about her favorite experience, she says none of it compares to the Olympic Games themselves. \u201cI got to be with my teammates and meet so many other amazing athletes,\u201d she says. \u201cBeing surrounded by that energy was really special, especially since we shared this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liu has used her newfound attention to shine a light on her hometown of Oakland. Instead of a traditional victory parade, she wanted to party with the people. Thousands showed up at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in March, some in halo-striped wigs in honor of Liu\u2019s trademark hairstyle, to watch her receive the key to the city and a custom Oakland Roots jersey as she appeared on stage with other local notables, including Sway Calloway, W. Kamau Bell, G-Eazy, and Kehlani.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Liu\u2019s gold-winning free skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n
Daniel A. Anderson\/Cal Sport Media\/AP Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud of where I\u2019m from,\u201d says Liu. \u201cThe people I love are from the Bay, and I am who I am because of it. \u2026 We support our people heavy. I\u2019m beyond grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not far from the Plaza is the Oakland Ice Center, where a mural now honors both Liu and East Bay skating legend Kristi Yamaguchi. Liu\u2019s father enrolled her in skating classes there when she was 5. In 2019, at age 13, Liu became the youngest U.S. champion in figure skating history. That same year, she graced the cover of Diablo\u2019s Best of the East Bay issue and shared her love of daring jumps\u2014and of slime.<\/p>\n
Even as a child prodigy, Liu\u2019s path through the sport would prove anything but straightforward, including the isolation of training through COVID-19, a sixth-place finish at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and a retirement announcement on Instagram at age 16.<\/p>\n
For two years, she traveled, spent time with friends, and reveled in the freedom of making her own choices. Then, on a ski trip, the familiar rush of speed and cold air drew Liu back to the ice\u2014on her own terms. About a year later, with handpicked coaches, choreographers, and costumes, she won the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Within another year, she was back on Olympic ice in Italy.<\/p>\n
So where does she go from here? Oakland, of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as the competition season begins, I\u2019ll resume my training in Oakland,\u201d says Liu. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to get back to it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alysa Liu was everywhere in 2026, including the Vanity Fair Oscar party. Anthony Behar\/Sipa USA\/AP Images As figure…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384090,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[64618,184,19609,143,145,144,42022],"class_list":["post-384089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-alysa-liu","tag-bay-area","tag-gold-medal","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-winter-olympics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}