Olympic champ Alysa Liu receives key to city in hometown rally

Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu was celebrated in her hometown of Oakland, California, on Thursday with a rally that included her receiving a key to the city.

Liu, who won the first Winter Games gold medal by an American woman in more than two decades, captured two golds in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. She won gold in the women's singles competition and again as part of the U.S. team event.

"Alysa Liu, she represented The Town! When she skated, she showed style, she showed finesse, she showed Oakland style," city councilmember Ken Houston said. "And when she bit the coin, she let 'em know that Oakland is in the house. So we are so proud of her."

Alysa Liu can now add the key to the city of Oakland to her trophy case. Mayor Barbara Lee gifted her the key at Thursday's rally honoring the Olympic gold medalist outside of City Hall. https://t.co/1XXkp6y21v pic.twitter.com/WFQe1zpY83

Throughout the Olympics, Liu, 20, represented her hometown. After finishing her program, she spotted a fan in the crowd holding the city's flag. Liu smiled and pointed toward the fan, then looked at the camera and said, "Oakland shoutout!"

Another viral clip paying homage to her roots came when she was asked to finish the line "Alysa Liu is ..." and proudly exclaimed, "from the Bay!"

The event also featured performances by fellow Bay Area natives G-Eazy and Grammy Award winner Kehlani.

Bay Area sports teams were also represented at the celebration, with mascots from the independent baseball team Oakland Ballers and WNBA's Golden State Valkyries among those in attendance.

Alysa Liu arrives to her adoring mascot public. 🥇 pic.twitter.com/6wDTP7kQuP

Golden. 🥇 🥇 pic.twitter.com/oGMbsB57jN

DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?? YUP. @valkyries Scrappy x Violet. 💚 💜 pic.twitter.com/0VgTa8ky1g