News

U.S. Olympic Medalist Takes Home the Gold

Leilani Celio, Staff Reporter ♦ April 7, 2026

Former female Olympic figure skater, Alysa Liu, poses in front of camera, celebrating her win at the 2026 Winter Olympics that took place in Milan, Italy. Liu won for her outstanding performance in women’s freestyle figure skating.

MILAN and CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The United States broke its Winter Olympics record with 12 gold medals at the 2026 Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, led by standout performances from returning Olympian Alysa Liu.

The 2026 Winter Olympics were held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Some of the sports that the Winter Olympics consisted of are alpine skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, snowboarding and jump skiing.

The Winter Olympics have brought thousands of athletes from around the world together, bringing in at least 2,900 athletes this year. This has been the most athletes that have participated in the Winter Olympics since 2022, with 2,834 athletes. Teams from Canada, the United States, Germany, Switzerland and Korea took part in the Winter Olympics this year, but only one of the five teams has broken their record and taken home the gold this year.

The United States has been competing in the Winter Olympic Games since 1924 and has continued to participate throughout the years, but this specific year, the U.S. Olympic team broke their Winter Olympics record and finished the Winter Olympic Games with 12 gold medals. Of the sports that the Winter Olympics consisted of, the main sports the U.S. team won in were figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating, alpine skiing, bobsleighing and freestyle skating.

Alysa Liu, one of the women on the U.S. Olympic team and a returning Olympian, won two gold medals for free figure skating. Alysa Liu won her medals for her outstanding performance in free skating and skating to three well-known songs. With Liu earning two gold medals, it has not only allowed her to go home knowing that she accomplished something big, but it also allowed her to earn the women’s first single since 2006.

“Being able to do it my way on the big stage like this has been my dream,” Liu said in an interview with NBC News.

With Liu returning to the Olympics, she has inspired many other Olympians to return. Emma Schaefer, a returning Olympian, was inspired by Alysa Liu’s performance and decided to return to archery.

“Watching her excel at the 2026 Olympics was incredibly inspiring,” Schaefer said according to MSN.

Alysa Liu continues to inspire many others on major social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, with her performance.

Donate to Panther Press

$70

$500

Contributed

Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Griffith High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

About the Contributor

Leilani Celio, Staff Reporter

Leilani Celio is a freshman here at Griffith Jr./Sr. High School, and it is her first year in Panther Press. Leilani joined Panther Press mostly because she enjoys writing, but over the past few months, she has grown to like it more than she thought she would. In Leilani’s free time, she enjoys having Bible studies, going on walks, going to the gym, thrifting, journaling, and spending time with the people she loves. She loves communicating with others and sharing her insights and opinions on things. In school, she tries to get her work done on time but sometimes her procrastination holds her back. Leilani would like to be a criminal psychologist one day because she has a fascination with the human mind. In the future, Leilani hopes to get into a good college, become a criminal psychologist, and take care of her family with whatever they need.