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.
Alysa Liu is back.
She's lighter, happier, freer -- and she's in contention for a figure skating gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The United States star actually retired after the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, but she rediscovered herself and has returned.
On Tuesday in the short program, Liu looked like a star again.
She actually had the toughest combination in her program of anyone in the entire competition, according to the NBC broadcast.
Liu had to land a triple Lutz, triple loop combo, and she pretty much did. She had just a slight under-rotation that cost her a quarter of a point.
But when her routine was done, Liu ranked in second place among all short program scores with a 76.59.
ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS ALYSA. pic.twitter.com/FBmrpECyUK
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2026
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The short program scores will be added to the free skate later this week to determine who medals.
Liu has work to do, but she looks happy. She couldn't stop smiling when her routine was complete, and when her score came up, she looked satisfied.
My beauty!!! Alysa Liu you’re so loved by me pic.twitter.com/9bqXppdLhu
— 𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑎 𝄞 (@minxrvas) February 17, 2026
Liu is part of a high-powered Team USA trio with Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn.
Together, they're hoping to grab at least one medal, if not more. An American woman hasn't gotten an individual Olympic medal since 2006.
This might be the time, and Liu has returned and put herself in contention.
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- Macklin Celebrini is chasing Hooley Smith's 1924 Olympics record
- U.S. Olympians get paid shockingly less than other countries for gold medals
- Controversy and cursing with Canada curling
- Chloe Kim's silver medal has some controversy