Alysa Liu drops 3-word reaction after historic comeback as she shows off her World Championships gold medals

Alysa Liu made an outstanding comeback to competitive skating by winning gold at the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston. Her victory marked a historic moment as she became the first American woman since 2006 to claim the world title.

Liu, who retired after the 2022 World Championships, believed her career had peaked. However, a ski vacation in 2023 revived her passion for the sport. She delivered an exceptional performance in Boston and earned 222.97 points with a series of triple jumps and a well-executed routine.

The American figure skater shared her achievement on Instagram on Monday, March 31, and captioned the post:

"What the hell."

In the ice dance rhythm finals, Madison Chock and Evan Bates from the USA scored 90.18, followed by Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier from Canada. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson placed Great Britain third with 83.86.

In addition, Ilia Malinin from the US scored 110.41 in the men's short program, followed by Kagiyama Yuma from Japan at 107.09, and Mikhail Shaidorov from Kazakhstan ranked third with 94.77.

Alysa Liu reflects on her victory at the 2025 ISU

Alysa Liu at the FIGURE SKATING: MAR 28 World Figure Skating Championships - Source: Getty

At the ISU event, Alysa Liu's victory was followed by Japan's Sakamoto Kaori with 217.98 and Chiba Mone from Japan with 215.24 at the women's free skate finals. In addition, Liu scored 74.58, followed by Japan's Chiba Mone at 73.44 and the USA's Isabeau Levito at 73.33 in the women's short program.

Reflecting on the achievements, the gold medalist said during an interview with Olympics.com:

"This means so much to me after everything that I've been through. My last skating experience, my time away... and [now] this time around. I'm so happy. I have never regretted anything in my life, every decision I've made. I'm so glad I [retired in 2022]. It really brought me to this moment."

The US team recorded the highest wins at the event, winning gold in ice dancing, men’s singles, and women’s singles. This event was the first direct Olympic qualifier for the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Milano Cortina.

The qualification event offered a chance for skaters to secure a spot at the 2026 Olympics. However, each country's Olympic committee will decide which athletes to represent in the quadrennial event.