HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE FLOODED into Frank Ogawa Plaza outside of Oakland City Hall on Thursday to celebrate the return of Alysa Liu, 20, after her gold medal win in the women’s singles figure skating competition at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
The downtown Oakland celebration comes after weeks of planning by the mayor’s office, partner organizations, and Liu’s team, who asked for a fixed-location party in lieu of a parade through the city.
Sporting a bold striped brown and blonde hairstyle that she wore during her Olympic performance, Liu expressed her deep gratitude to the attendees and described her journey to fame.
“It’s been crazy how much visibility I have right now,” said Liu. “I would have never expected that, especially for figure skaters, we don’t really blow up like that.”
The Olympic athlete said she was proud to be a source of inspiration for people who feel connected to her story while simultaneously asking people to respect her personal space.
“Representation matters so much,” said Liu. “I’m always so grateful and just honored that I could be that for some people.”
Liu, who was raised in Richmond by Chinese immigrants and began her skating career at the Oakland Ice Center, is the first woman from the United States to win any individual medal in figure skating at the Olympics since Sasha Cohen in 2006. Videos of her Winter Games championship performance to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park” and exhibition skate to “Stateside” by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson quickly gained popularity across the country, with each receiving millions of views on YouTube.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and her office helped organize the Thursday rally to officially welcome Liu back to the Bay Area. She presented Liu with a symbolic key to the city for her contributions as an athlete.
“When Oakland celebrates one of our own, we show up,” said Lee. “Today we celebrate one of our greatest. Alysa is Oakland through her determination, her creativity and her courage.”
The Thursday afternoon rally featured performances by local high schoolers, lion dancers, and a surprise appearance by singer-songwriter Kehlani.
Most people stayed for the 90-minute rally, with some electing to use a colorful rally towel inscribed with Liu’s Crew to shield them from the direct afternoon sun.
Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, whose district encompasses large swaths of Oakland, was wearing a bright lime green baseball jersey with Alameda Co. written across the front. She was excited to see so people united by Liu and how her accomplishments showcased the positive traits of the Town.
“To all of those haters on Oakland, take a look at what’s happening right now because this is the real Oakland,” said Fortunato Bas.
Other Bay Area sports organizations showed up to signal their support and love for Liu, such as the Oakland Ballers, the San Jose Sharks, the San Jose Barracuda, and the Golden State Valkyries.
Representation matters so much.
Alysa Liu, Olympic gold medalist
Kristi Yamaguchi, the first Asian American woman to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics and a fellow Bay Area professional figure skater, also congratulated Liu alongside other decorated athletes.
Oakland resident Alec Sloane was excited to be surrounded by other people celebrating the sporting community in Oakland. Sloane said he believed Liu’s accomplishments demonstrated Oakland’s status as a major sporting city, despite the departure of major teams like the Athletics and Raiders.
“We are a sports town and we’re a championship town, just look at her for proof!” said Sloane. “I grew up in Oakland and you can kind of imagine yourself in her position, and it makes you realize people from here can do anything.”
Playing with one of the Alysa Liu-branded rally towels was Aaliyah and her mother Stephanie Tran. She said it was her pleasure, as an Oakland resident and Asian American woman, to participate in the welcome home rally.
“(Alysa) is about representation for her community and to be able to see a female Asian athlete from Oakland celebrated, not just so decorated, but to win gold is great,” said Tran. “She’s inspiring a lot of young girls, and hopefully my daughter too.”
Without missing a beat after being asked to make a final remark, Liu said two words. “It’s Oakland.”