Alysa Liu delivered a stellar performance on Tuesday to lead Team USA in the women’s figure skating short program. The reigning world champion scored a season-best 76.59 to finish third.
She trails Japan’s Ami Nakai (78.71) and Kaori Sakamoto (77.23) heading into Thursday’s free skate.
20-year-old Liu landed a difficult triple lutz-triple loop combination, a sequence no other athlete attempted. She set her routine to Laufey’s “Promise,” earning a standing ovation from the crowd in Milan.
@nbcolympics Alysa Liu was all smiles after her skate! #WinterOlympics ♬ original sound – NBC Olympics & Paralympics
“I felt super grounded, and I connected with my program on another level compared to the rest of the season,” Liu said afterward. “My goal is just to do my programs and share my story.”
Unfortunately, the night brought heartbreak for US teammate Amber Glenn. The three-time US champion finished 13th with 67.39 points after bailing out of a triple loop. The jump became an invalid element, resulting in no points awarded.
However, Glenn did successfully land a triple axel earlier in her routine, joining Nakai were the only two skaters to attempt the difficult 3.5-revolution jump. But the missed triple loop cost her seven to eight points, with Glenn ultimately exiting in tears.
“She’s gone through so much, and she works so freaking hard,” Liu said of her fellow Blade Angel. “I just want her to be happy, that’s genuinely all I want.”
Team USA’s Isabeau Levito finished eighth in her Olympic debut with 70.85 points, with all three US skaters qualifying for Thursday’s competition.
The United States is hunting its first women’s figure skating medal since Sasha Cohen won silver in 2006, marking a 20-year drought. The last US women’s figure skater to win gold was Sarah Hughes in 2002.
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