Figure skating-Dazzling Liu strikes gold to end US women's Olympic medal drought

Feb 20 : Alysa Liu delivered a dazzling performance to win the gold at the Milano Cortina Games on Thursday as she capped a remarkable comeback journey to snap a 20-year Olympic medal drought for Americans in the women's figure skating event.

Japan's Kaori Sakamoto took silver, finishing ahead of her 17-year-old teammate Ami Nakai, who claimed bronze.

Skating with joyful confidence, Liu nailed jump after jump in her Donna Summer disco-themed free skate to bring the sold-out crowd to their feet.

"When I was skating, hearing the cheers, and I felt so connected with audience. I want to be out there again," she said.

"The way I felt out there were calm, happy and confident. I've been having fun. This experience is really cool."

COMEBACK QUEEN

Liu stunned the skating world when she retired from the sport aged just 16 after the Beijing Games in 2022, citing burnout and the desire to pursue other interests.

The Californian returned two years later with a new perspective - and more creative control - taking charge of her music choices, programmes and costumes. That reset helped spark a resurgence that included a world title in Boston last year.

Aptly dressed in a shimmering gold outfit, the 20-year-old joyously celebrated her flawless performance by playfully flicking back her striped ponytail at the end of her routine. 

Her performance left her teammate Ilia Malinin punching the air in delight as he cheered on from the stands and earned Liu a season's best score of 150.20 for her free skate and a total of 226.79.

It was Liu's second gold medal in Milan following the United States' triumph in the team competition earlier in the Games.

She came into Thursday's competition as the U.S.'s last realistic hope for gold after teammates and