U.S. Women [#7]: Make Me a Believer!

[Frau Muller]

LIA THE WAY!!!

 

[caseyedwards]

That's the first U.S. women's World gold since Kimmie Meissner!

With a less difficult Jump layout than meissner did

 

[livetoskate]

What an amazing night of skating! Congrats to Alysa-- I did not expect her to be the World champion & am so impressed with her comeback. Kaori was so exciting to watch. For both of them, the audience was cheering like crazy and gave standing ovations. Looking forward to more excitement tomorrow in the men's event.

 

[Coco]

With a less difficult Jump layout than meissner did

But more rotations

 

[Coco]

Who knows what Alyssa was aware of, but 3 spots were secure before she took the ice, which is AMAZING.

 

[Sonata]

In the replay, as Alysa is doing her final spin and ending pose, you can see Tenley Albright, the first American Olympic champion, standing behind her in the audience, cheering her on. I thought that was pretty cool.

 

[Karen-W]

With a less difficult Jump layout than meissner did

But more rotations

And a lot more heart.

Kimmie Meissner is probably the most maligned of all US Women's World Champions and she's going to remain that way still. There wasn't anything memorable about Kimmie beyond her 3A. Alysa's cemented herself in US figure skating history. She's been to 3 World Championships - 2 senior & 1 junior - and medaled at every single one of them. That's a stat to remember.

 

[Debbie S]

And a lot more heart.

Kimmie Meissner is probably the most maligned of all US Women's World Champions and she's going to remain that way still. There wasn't anything memorable about Kimmie beyond her 3A. Alysa's cemented herself in US figure skating history. She's been to 3 World Championships - 2 senior & 1 junior - and medaled at every single one of them. That's a stat to remember.

Kimmie has already congratulated Alysa on IG. I doubt she's making snarky comments and comparing herself to Alysa. It would be nice if fans could admire the achievements of skaters without feeling the need to take shots at others, particularly those from different generations.

 

[Karen-W]

Kimmie has already congratulated Alysa on IG. I doubt she's making snarky comments and comparing herself to Alysa. It would be nice if fans could admire the achievements of skaters without feeling the need to take shots at others, particularly those from different generations.

Sorry. I can see how some people might read my comments as particularly harsh & snarky. That wasn't my intent.

For me, personally, I never felt much of anything one way or the other about Kimmie's skating.

I do recall, at the time, I had no issue with her winning Worlds, but it does feel, as the years have worn on, that she has taken far more snark & sniping from FSUers & FS fans in general, for that one World title that was won at a post-Olympic, depleted field Worlds, blah blah blah. That's what I was referencing when I called her the most maligned - and I can see how folks might think I agree with that sentiment & am piling on, which I'm not, but simply acknowledging that fact. Similar to how people really like to take potshots at Sarah Hughes, it's not something I agree with (though I'll fight anyone on Sarah because she was my girl that cycle, lol).

It's wonderful that Kimmie has already congratulated Alysa. I'm sure she never expected, when she retired, that it would be another 15+ years before the US women claimed another World title.

 

[cailuj365]

Alysa Liu, you ARE the WORLD CHAMPION! Just amazing!!! That has to be one of the most unexpected, feel-good wins in figure skating, lol. Put her at top billing for Stars on Ice now - she's a world champion too!

 

[dramagrrl]

After her initial success and (over-)hype at age 13/14, I was skeptical about Alysa achieving any sort of longevity in her skating career. When she had her first major growth spurt and people began writing her off, and she was able to regroup and fight back, I realized I was wrong, and so I was a bit sad when she decided to retire so early. I was excited when I heard she was attempting a comeback, but assumed it would lead to a spot on the podium at Nationals at the very most. And now we have 2025 World Champion Alysa Liu! I am thrilled for her. What a story.

 

[Private Citizen]

1, 4, and 5 in the world is a fantastic result. I need to take back what I said about the US having depth of "top ten Jens" but not really medal contenders. I remember disagreeing with someone (can't remember who) who compared the depth in the US to the depth in Japan. That person was more right than I gave them credit for, with USA-JPN-JPN-USA-USA-JPN being the top six at Worlds.

Anyone who wants to bump one of these three women from the Olympic team needs to have an ultra-C element ready to go in the fall.

Liu - World Champion
Glenn - GPF Champion
Levito - 4th, 2nd, 4th at Worlds this Olympic cycle

Those are high bars and strong bodies of work.

Liu has gone from on the bubble to a near-lock for the Olympics.
Glenn has gone from a near-lock to on the bubble again; I could see her off the team depending on how next season goes.
Levito's stock has improved. She is probably still the most vulnerable, but she will control her own destiny by finishing in the top three age-eligible skaters. With 4-2-4 at Worlds this cycle, she won't be bumped, even for Glenn.

 

[Trillian]

In the replay, as Alysa is doing her final spin and ending pose, you can see Tenley Albright, the first American Olympic champion, standing behind her in the audience, cheering her on. I thought that was pretty cool.

I was watching on Peacock (the “World Feed”?) and Tenley Albright was visible in the camera angle they were using at that point in the live broadcast. She is so recognizable. That’s definitely a part of the moment that’s going to stick with me, as a skating fan.

One thing that blows me away about Alysa’s win is that it’s not like it happened in a weak field or an off year. She made it back to Worlds amid the strongest field of U.S. women we’ve had in years, then managed to win Worlds in an event where there were a ton of excellent performances (including Kaori Sakamoto, who is an absolute GOAT). Yes, she had the home field advantage and the judges weren’t particularly tough on the Americans, but it wasn’t an easy win or a fluke.

And for my more cynical take: NBC, USOC, USFS, and anyone else who stands to profit off the Winter Olympics must be thrilled. Since they still haven’t figured out how to market ice dancing (sexy grown ups in sparkly dresses who might be in love or at least good at pretending and the Americans always win medals? How could you ever drum up public interest in such a thing?), or men in general, having multiple legit American medal contenders in the women’s event for the first time in forever is going to be a dream come true for them.

 

[Wyliefan]

Here's a great photo of Alysa finishing her program right in front of Tenley Albright (also posted in the competition thread):

@samiracles.bsky.social

Alysa Liu! Alysa Liu!!! World champion Alysa Liu. That was a genuinely magical moment, kudos to the nbc sports cameraman for capturing Tenley Albright in the background standing in amazement at this. Words can’t describe it, honestly. #worldfigure

bsky.app

 

[her grace]

I watched Liu’s 2020 nationals skates to refresh my memory of how she’s grown and Tara said during her FS, “We’re watching a world champion in the making.”

Lovely to see how much artistry she’s added and great improvement in the skating skills. Hope she can continue to build her stamina and speed, and I’d love to see her try the 3A again.

What an amazing skater!

 

[Debbie S]

And for my more cynical take: NBC, USOC, USFS, and anyone else who stands to profit off the Winter Olympics must be thrilled.

Yep. Continuing with the cynicism, Alysa will likely get the vast majority of pre-Oly sponsorship/endorsement opportunities. Which is not good news for Ilia (or Madi). I imagine Ari Z is gnashing his teeth today.

I do hope there are enough opportunities to go around.

 

[layman]

1, 4, and 5 in the world is a fantastic result. I need to take back what I said about the US having depth of "top ten Jens" but not really medal contenders. I remember disagreeing with someone (can't remember who) who compared the depth in the US to the depth in Japan. That person was more right than I gave them credit for, with USA-JPN-JPN-USA-USA-JPN being the top six at Worlds.

That was me (that you disagreed with). I accept your apology. I am so happy for the US Women right now!

 

[Rukia]

Yep. Continuing with the cynicism, Alysa will likely get the vast majority of pre-Oly sponsorship/endorsement opportunities. Which is not good news for Ilia (or Madi). I imagine Ari Z is gnashing his teeth today.

Ari is going to make aiIlia work overtime for this

 

[peibeck]

Ari is going to make aiIlia work overtime for this

Eh, I'm positive the Ilia AI bot will give Ari all kinds of winning ideas to shift the PR and $$$ momentum back to his pockets.

 

[sk9tingfan]

Alysa in pre-competition chill mode, etc.

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[Wyliefan]

Ari will probably care more than Ilia will.

 

[Trillian]

Yep. Continuing with the cynicism, Alysa will likely get the vast majority of pre-Oly sponsorship/endorsement opportunities. Which is not good news for Ilia (or Madi). I imagine Ari Z is gnashing his teeth today.

I do hope there are enough opportunities to go around.

I think Amber will do pretty well too - she’s great on social media and has already built quite a fan base. Isabeau is probably the most likely of the three to get lost in the shuffle publicity-wise, which is funny when you consider that on paper, she’s got the most stereotypical “ice princess” quality. Any other time I can remember, they would have been thrilled to have her as the poster girl heading into the Olympic season. (And of course we will most likely have other legit contenders for the team, too.)

Crossing my fingers that having at least three accomplished and easily marketable women in the mix next season will keep the expectations from weighing too heavily on any one of them. They’ve all got the potential to attract different types of fans and I think if they keep skating well next season, they’re all going to get plenty of promotion.

 

[Vagabond]

American Alysa Liu, after two years away from figure skating, wins gold at worlds

Alysa Liu, who walked away from figure skating at age 16 and returned last year, won the 2025 world championship on Friday.

www.nytimes.com

“I tried to talk her out of it,” Liu’s coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo, said. “Nobody’s done this. Nobody walks away and comes back.”

Liu’s readiness only underscored the sense of destiny present. This was storybook. The meant-to-be vibes elicited goosebumps. She never felt that in all her previous years of skating.
“I really don’t think I wanted to do any competition before,” Liu said after her short program. “Besides not wanting to do it, I definitely wasn’t ready for competitions ever, in my opinion.”

Hang on to your hats, folks! The best may be yet to come.

So the time is ripe for America to recapture its legacy of Olympic success.

Thread title alert!

There's more good stuff and apparently no paywall.

 

[Karen-W]

Yep. Continuing with the cynicism, Alysa will likely get the vast majority of pre-Oly sponsorship/endorsement opportunities. Which is not good news for Ilia (or Madi). I imagine Ari Z is gnashing his teeth today.

I do hope there are enough opportunities to go around.

I think there is plenty of appeal to different market segments for Alysa & Ilia. Certainly, Madi & Evan will get lost in the shuffle, though, again, their appeal would be to yet another market segment.

I've always thought that Ilia's opportunities would increase if we had an American women's world champion going into Milano. Advertisers & sponsors are going to be looking at the best gold medal hopes in all the Olympic sports & the attention Alysa will bring will cause some of them to look at how strong we are across all figure skating disciplines - a rising tide lifts all ships. And, looking across all the Winter Olympic sports... Ilia is the best American men's hope for a gold medal apart from Jordan Stolz.

The person who may lose out the most is Jason - is his social media presence necessary with a US Women’s World Champion? Eyeballs will be glued on the Olympics and figure skating in particular because of the actual strength of the US women, along with Ilia and Chock/Bates. Amber fills the same role as Jason in the social media arena, but with better results & medal potential.

This result is going to really make things deeply interesting for the Team Event. Surely, with the Men's individual event going right after the TE, Ilia will only do the TE SP. And with the Dance individual event the 1st week as well, one would have expected ChoBat to split TE duties, especially with CarPon coming up strong. But now, the USA has 1, 4, & 5 in the Women and how do you NOT split TE duties for the Women instead of Dance? It's rather crazy when you think about it.

 

[MacMadame]

There's more good stuff if you can get behind the paywall.

You can read it even without a subscription. (So it's either not behind a paywall or that's a gifted link.)

Crossing my fingers that having at least three accomplished and easily marketable women in the mix next season will keep the expectations from weighing too heavily on any one of them. They’ve all got the potential to attract different types of fans and I think if they keep skating well next season, they’re all going to get plenty of promotion.

I agree. The days were only the crowned one got any sponsors are over IMO. Marketing is more targeted and fragmented now. I see the three of them getting promoted and Illia, too. And probably ChoBat as well. We have three Gold Medal contenders and companies are going to drool over them.

 

[Bulletsdad]

I think there is plenty of appeal to different market segments for Alysa & Ilia. Certainly, Madi & Evan will get lost in the shuffle, though, again, their appeal would be to yet another market segment.

I've always thought that Ilia's opportunities would increase if we had an American women's world champion going into Milano. Advertisers & sponsors are going to be looking at the best gold medal hopes in all the Olympic sports & the attention Alysa will bring will cause some of them to look at how strong we are across all figure skating disciplines - a rising tide lifts all ships. And, looking across all the Winter Olympic sports... Ilia is the best American men's hope for a gold medal apart from Jordan Stolz.

The person who may lose out the most is Jason - is his social media presence necessary with a US Women’s World Champion? Eyeballs will be glued on the Olympics and figure skating in particular because of the actual strength of the US women, along with Ilia and Chock/Bates. Amber fills the same role as Jason in the social media arena, but with better results & medal potential.

This result is going to really make things deeply interesting for the Team Event. Surely, with the Men's individual event going right after the TE, Ilia will only do the TE SP. And with the Dance individual event the 1st week as well, one would have expected ChoBat to split TE duties, especially with CarPon coming up strong. But now, the USA has 1, 4, & 5 in the Women and how do you NOT split TE duties for the Women instead of Dance? It's rather crazy when you think about it.

I understand that Alysa has been practicing her 3A. If she gets it consistent, I could definitely see her doing both programs in the Team Event.

 

[barbk]

I think Amber will do pretty well too - she’s great on social media and has already built quite a fan base. Isabeau is probably the most likely of the three to get lost in the shuffle publicity-wise, which is funny when you consider that on paper, she’s got the most stereotypical “ice princess” quality. Any other time I can remember, they would have been thrilled to have her as the poster girl heading into the Olympic season. (And of course we will most likely have other legit contenders for the team, too.)

Crossing my fingers that having at least three accomplished and easily marketable women in the mix next season will keep the expectations from weighing too heavily on any one of them. They’ve all got the potential to attract different types of fans and I think if they keep skating well next season, they’re all going to get plenty of promotion.

Maybe there will be a soup mug to add to the collection!

 

[barbk]

I think there is plenty of appeal to different market segments for Alysa & Ilia. Certainly, Madi & Evan will get lost in the shuffle, though, again, their appeal would be to yet another market segment.

I've always thought that Ilia's opportunities would increase if we had an American women's world champion going into Milano. Advertisers & sponsors are going to be looking at the best gold medal hopes in all the Olympic sports & the attention Alysa will bring will cause some of them to look at how strong we are across all figure skating disciplines - a rising tide lifts all ships. And, looking across all the Winter Olympic sports... Ilia is the best American men's hope for a gold medal apart from Jordan Stolz.

The person who may lose out the most is Jason - is his social media presence necessary with a US Women’s World Champion? Eyeballs will be glued on the Olympics and figure skating in particular because of the actual strength of the US women, along with Ilia and Chock/Bates. Amber fills the same role as Jason in the social media arena, but with better results & medal potential.

This result is going to really make things deeply interesting for the Team Event. Surely, with the Men's individual event going right after the TE, Ilia will only do the TE SP. And with the Dance individual event the 1st week as well, one would have expected ChoBat to split TE duties, especially with CarPon coming up strong. But now, the USA has 1, 4, & 5 in the Women and how do you NOT split TE duties for the Women instead of Dance? It's rather crazy when you think about it.

I'd guess Ilia would be fine doing both segments, but cooler heads will likely prevail. So, men split. Split the women. No great reason to split dance...it isn't like Car/Pon have won world medals. And pairs is always such a crapshoot for the US that it likely doesn't matter.

 

[Rukia]

it isn't like Car/Pon have won world medals.

they've won my heart and that's what really matters

 

[Private Citizen]

This result is going to really make things deeply interesting for the Team Event. Surely, with the Men's individual event going right after the TE, Ilia will only do the TE SP. And with the Dance individual event the 1st week as well, one would have expected ChoBat to split TE duties, especially with CarPon coming up strong. But now, the USA has 1, 4, & 5 in the Women and how do you NOT split TE duties for the Women instead of Dance? It's rather crazy when you think about it.

Well, they gave both to Karen Chen .

Didn't the USFS give the world medalists, Nathan Chen and Hubbell & Donohue, first choice on whether or not to split in 2022? I'm not sure if they'd do the same thing here or use a different method. Of course, they're likely to going to have three world medallists and at least one champion (Liu), so one will have to do both or opt out entirely.