Alysa Liu Makes Blunt Admission on Japanese Figure Skaters After Winter Olympics

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Mar 3, 2026 7:33 PM ET

Alysa Liu had a disappointing end to the 2022 Beijing Games, leaving without an Olympic medal. However, the story at Milano Cortina 2026 was much different for the 20-year-old figure skater, as she captured her first two Olympic gold medals.

Liu began her Milan journey in the team event, competing alongside fellow USA skaters, including "Blade Angels" teammate Amber Glenn and Ilia Malinin. Skating in the qualification round, Liu contributed nine of the United States’ 69 points, helping the team edge Japan for gold. And in the women’s singles event, Liu then captured her second gold medal of 2026 with a combined score of 226.79.

Alysa Liu (24) of the United States competes in the women's figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics.Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Like Liu, Japanese figure skater Kaori Sakamoto also competed in both the team and women’s singles events, but did not have as much luck. Skating in both rounds of the team event, Sakamoto helped Japan finish with 68 points and in second place, just missing out on the gold medal. In the singles event, Sakamoto totaled 224.90 points, falling short of her first Olympic gold behind Liu. Fellow Japanese skater Ami Nakai earned bronze with a score of 219.16.

Despite the women’s singles results, Liu has remained friendly with her fellow medalists. On Tuesday, the USA star shared a post on social media featuring a photo of herself with Sakamoto and Nakai, admitting how proud she is of what they accomplished.

"Grateful to have shared the podium with two incredible teammates of mine on this crazy Olympic journey!" Liu wrote on Instagram. "Proud of what we accomplished together and individually. Hyped, we each got to capture this victory selfie as a group and share our joy with the world."