Alysa Liu carries Team USA to Olympic medal contention after carefree short program performance

February 18, 2026

TL;DR

Alysa Liu is the primary U.S. medal hope in the women's figure skating individual event after her short program.
Liu's short program featured a difficult triple lutz-triple loop combination, placing her near the top of the leaderboard.
Teammates Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn encountered errors in their short programs, hindering their chances for high scores.
Glenn received a message of encouragement from Madonna for her free skate.
Glenn is noted as the oldest U.S. women's singles skater in 98 years and the first out LGBTQ+ woman to compete in the Olympics.
Both Liu and Glenn have already won gold medals in the team event.
The last U.S. woman to win Olympic figure skating gold was Sarah Hughes in 2002.

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