LAKE PLACID, NY — It was as if Alysa Liu couldn’t believe it.
As her free skate ended and the crowd rose to their feet, the 20-year-old figure skater threw her hands on her head. She needed a big day on Sunday, Nov. 16 to win first place at 2025 Skate America, and she felt like she didn’t perform as well as she could’ve.
“In my opinion, I did not skate that good,” Liu said. “That’s why I was just like ‘ah, silly mistake.'”
Despite how she felt her program went, the day ended with the hardware around her neck matching the color of her dress: gold.
Liu delivered a powerful free skate to win Skate America for the first time in her career, and continue her stellar run as she heads toward returning to the Winter Olympics.
Liu delivered an emotional short program on Saturday, Nov. 16, letting the tears come down as the crowd serenaded her with a standing ovation. She considered herself “lucky to be able to cry over something,” she said.
For as good as the performance was, Liu knew there were a couple of mistakes that likely left some points off her scoresheet. It showed with a second-place finish, less than a point behind Rinka Watanabe of Japan.
As the second-to-last skater inside the famed Herb Brooks Arena, Liu crushed her “MacArthur Park Suite” program, nailing her moves despite not feeling like performed her best. She earned a score of 140.54, a season-best for the one-time Olympian that set herself up for a chance at the top of the podium.
“My body just moves with the music,” Liu said of this free skate, which she brought back after using last season. “When I when I was like, oh, maybe I’ll go back to this program. I was like, no yeah, go back to this program. I love this program. It’s a great program.”
Watanabe was the final skater, and even though she had an early stumble, she was still strong with her triple axels. It looked like she had a good shot at first, but she received a 136.61, putting her total more than three points behind Liu.
It’s been quite the year for Liu. She won the world championship in March and finished second at the Cup of China less than a month ago. Now with the win at Skate America, she has her first Grand Prix win of her career, which will send her to the Grand Prix finals in December.
The strong year gives hope that Liu can be the American star should she qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina. The United States haven’t had a woman win a medal in the single’s event since Sasha Cohen in 2006, the longest drought the Americans have gone without taking home a medal.
Now after a strong showing in Lake Placid, New York, Liu continues her triumphant march toward a promising showing for what could be her second Olympic appearance − and she vows to be better than Skate America, hinting that she will be using her Lady Gaga medley in the future.
“One good thing about making so many mistakes in a program is that I’m so motivated to not make any more mistakes in my next program,” she said. “I’m excited to be able to showcase more.”
Madison Chock, Evan Bates cruise toward tying history
It was practically decided before Sunday, but the decorated American duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates cemented another accolade with a dominant first-place finish in the ice dance, cementing a big day for the Americans.
The pair, now in their second season as a married duo, stormed out of the gates in the rhythm dance on Saturday, delivering a rocking Lenny Kravitz medley that was executed to a tee. They earned a 84.77, more than seven points than second place, a comfortable margin to be heading into the free dance with.
A clean skate would be more than enough to ensure another first place finish, and there were no mistakes when Chock and Bates performed their intense paso doble in the free dance to remind everyone why they are the class of the ice dance. Chock took on the spirit of a matador, using her skirt as a cape while Bates matched the energy.
It earned them a score of 127.81, the second straight day they registered the best score of the event. In the final standings, Chock and Bates had 212.58 points, more than 15 points than second place finishers Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha of Canada.
With the win, Chock and Bates have won Skate America for the fifth time, tying the ice dance record in the event set by Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto. It’s also their third time winning Skate America in the past four years.
It’s been a year full of winning for the duo, just having won the Cup of China three weeks ago. The first win of the 2025-26 season came after they won the world championship for the third-straight year. They now head to the Grand Prix finals, where they will try to win the event for another three-peat.
The Skate America champions are positioning themselves well for a return to the Olympics, which can be official at the U.S. championships in January, an event they have won for the past four years.
A trip to the 2026 Winter Games would be their fourth appearance, with the hope of winning a medal in ice dance for the first time in their career.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.