Alysa Liu Becomes First U.S. World Champion Since 2006
USA's Alysa Liu reacts as she skates her free program in the women's competition of the 2025 ISU ... More World Figure Skating Championships at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 28, 2025. Liu won the women's figure skating world title. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
In an electric evening inside the Boston Celtics' T.D. Garden, 19-year-old skater Alysa Liu secured her first world title in the women's singles competition. Liu's historic win marks the United States' first women's singles title since Kimmie Meissner achieved the feat in 2006.
Heading into Friday's competition with a stunning lead, Liu delivered another near-faultless performance, this time to Donna Summer's 'MacArthur Park.' As she wrapped her final spin to the disco tunes, the 19,000-person-plus packed T.D. Garden grew as loud as it sounded during the 2024 NBA Finals.
The audience erupted as she held her final pose, and Liu looked stunned. She had successfully gone two for two on skates in her first return to the World Championships since winning a silver medal in 2022. This was also her first return since her abrupt retirement in mid-2022. Regardless of the medal color, Liu had delivered.
When her score flashed at 222.97 total, her look of disbelief returned. She had just made history – and defeated the world's best in her climb to the top. En route to her title, Liu defeated the three-time defending World Champion, Japan's Kaori Sakamoto. After a subpar skate during Wednesday's short program, Sakamoto redeemed herself with a spectacular free skate on Friday to renew her podium chances.
After the final results were posted, Liu quickly embraced Sakamoto, and both athletes broke into tears. The new World Champion would tell former U.S. Figure Skater Ashley Wagner that Sakamoto 'inspires her," but she wanted to keep the rest of their conversation private.
USA's Gold medalist Alysa Liu (C), Japan's silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto (L) and Japan's bronze ... More medalist Mone Chiba (R) celebrate on the podium during the women's meday ceremony of the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
In third was Japan's Mone Chiba, with what announcers described as a 'special' free skate program. Chiba didn't put a foot (or skate) wrong in Boston, landing all her jumps cleanly, except for a few slight under rotations.
Liu's fellow Americans, Isabeau Levito and gold-medal favorite Amber Glenn, finished just off the podium in fourth and fifth. Levito entered Friday in third place, but dropped to fourth after falling on her jump combination. While Glenn redeemed her short program fall with a solid free skate, tonight's performance was not enough to overcome Wednesday's deficit.
Despite missing the podium, Levito, Glenn, and Liu helped secure three spots for the U.S. team at the upcoming Milano-Cortina Winter Games in 2026. Thus, for the U.S. Figure Skating Association, Boston 2025 marked a mission accomplished.
For Alysa Liu, she'll still need time to process her historic win. When pressed to share her emotions, Liu told reporters that she still 'hadn't been able to process her short program.' Ultimately, Liu summarize her reaction as, 'what the hell?'
Whether she believes it or not, for the first time since 2006, the best figure skater in women's skating is an American: Alysa Liu.
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