Alysa Liu dominated the figure skating free program this Thursday to claim the title of Olympic champion.
The consecration. The American Alysa Liu, reigning world champion, was crowned Olympic figure skating champion on Thursday at the Milan Cortina Games, at the end of a free program which euphoricized the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
With a score of 226.79, Liu, who came out of retirement two seasons ago, is ahead of two Japanese, Kaori Sakamoto, in silver with 224.90 points, and the 17-year-old prodigy Ami Nakai (219.16 pts). With her brown and blond hair, Liu, third after the court, brought the spectators to the disco notes of Donna Summer. In her sequined gold dress, Liu pulled out all the stops, skating with confidence and infectious joy, a program greeted with a volume that would make the Milanese ice tremble.
Skip the ad
Her flamboyant performance allowed her to improve her season record by more than four points and win gold, under the eyes of her compatriot Tenley Albright, 90 years old and Olympic champion at the Cortina d’Ampezzo Games in 1956. Former child prodigy, youngest champion in the United States at 13, the American retired in 2022, at only 16, exhausted from above level, before putting on the skates again at the start of last season. The year of her return, she won the World Championships in Boston to everyone’s surprise.
She gave the United States their first Olympic title in the women’s category since Sarah Hughes in 2002. Skating just after, the Japanese Kaori Sakamoto, one of the most popular figures in women’s skating, had the opportunity to win Olympic gold, the only major title missing from her record.
Edith Piaf vs. Donna Summer
In an elegant purple rhinestone dress, Sakamoto performed a trio of songs by Edith Piaf, but a hesitant reception on her triple flip prevented her from continuing with her planned double toe loop. At 25, the woman who announced her retirement at the end of this season is content with silver, four years after her bronze medal in Beijing.
During the last Olympics, Sakamoto established herself as the leading figure in women’s skating. Triple world champion (2022, 2023 and 2024), she has become popular as much for her prowess on the ice as for her solar charisma. But she ended up being dethroned by the returning Alysa Liu last year at the Worlds.
Last to take to the ice, the other Japanese Ami Nakai, who won the short program, was the youngest of the qualified skaters. The 17-year-old high school student is playing her first season on the senior circuit and won the first Grand Prix of her career last October in Angers. On Thursday, she welcomed her bronze medal like a victory jumping into the arms of Alysa Liu.
Skip the ad
By the time she got on the podium, Sakamoto had dried her tears to accept her medal with a big smile. The only Russian skater authorized to compete in the Olympics, under a neutral flag, Adeliia Petrosian was eagerly awaited. The 18-year-old skater was the only one to attempt a quadruple jump, a toe loop, but fell on landing.
Despite everything, she performed her free program with character on a fiery tango punctuated by seven triple jumps, before welcoming her score with a particularly stern face. She finally finished sixth with 214.53 points. The only Frenchwoman in the running, Lorine Schild, qualified at the last minute for the freestyle, took 22nd place with 167.08 points.
