A Father’s Pride Steals The Moment After Alysa Liu’s Historic Olympic Gold
American figure skater Alysa Liu set social media buzzing on Thursday after capturing gold in the women’s singles final at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.
With the victory, she secured her second gold medal of the Games and became the first American woman to claim Olympic singles gold in figure skating since 2002.
Liu turned in one of the strongest skates of her career, finishing ahead of Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, who took silver, and Ami Nakai, who earned bronze. She also drew widespread admiration for focusing her celebration on Nakai’s podium moment rather than centering attention solely on herself.
But Alysa wasn’t the only one from her family who captured the internet’s attention. Her father, Arthur Liu, quickly became a viral highlight thanks to his spontaneous reaction to her historic win.
Clips showing Arthur applauding with visible emotion while clutching an American flag spread rapidly across social media, racking up hundreds of thousands of views and tens of thousands of likes on X within hours.
Fans responded with overwhelming praise, applauding Arthur not only for his unwavering support of his daughter but also for proudly waving the American flag in the moment.
“I love this!! 😍😍🌸 there’s nothing that beats support from the family,” one fan wrote.
“Absolutely heartwarming ❤️ seeing Alysa Liu’s father celebrate her gold with the American flag is pure pride and joy… a moment to remember!” another commented.
“Her performance was amazing and what a beautiful moment for the family!!” a third post read.
“What a heartwarming moment! You can really feel the pride radiating from him. Alysa truly deserves this!” one user added.
“The moment you make one shill ❤️🇺🇸 A father is proud of his daughter There is no greater feeling than this 🥇,” another fan exclaimed.
Arthur’s visible support for the United States has been a frequent topic of discussion throughout the Olympics.
Born in China, Arthur emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 25. In recent years, reports have suggested that both Arthur and Alysa were allegedly targeted in a spy-related operation ahead of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, placing additional scrutiny on their family and further underscoring the significance of Alysa representing the United States on the Olympic stage.
