The gold medalist skyrocketed to fame after her exuberant free skate at the Milan Cortina games.

Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu pleas for privacy after being chased at airport

The gold medalist skyrocketed to fame after her exuberant free skate at the Milan Cortina games.

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

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March 5, 2026 2:56 p.m. ET

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Gold medalist Alysa Liu of Team United States. Credit:

Matthew Stockman/Getty

Olympian Alysa Liu shared a scary encounter she had with a fan at the airport.

Liu became a sensation following her gold medal-winning free skate to Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park" at the 2026 Winter Olympics. While the figure skater has become known for her carefree and joyful persona, she has suddenly been thrust into the spotlight, which has brought some unwelcome attention.

Alysa Liu of Team United States competes in Women's Single Skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty

Liu revealed that she was "chased" after getting off her flight on Wednesday. She asked the public for privacy after the stressful experience.

"So I land at the airport & there's a crowd waiting at the exit with cameras & things for me to sign," Liu shared in an Instagram Story on March 4. "All up in my personal space. Someone chased me to my car bruh. Please do not do that to me."

Liu, who is from Oakland, Calif., has been jetsetting across the country to discuss her skating career and Olympic wins. Her return from the Milan Cortina games has been quite a whirlwind. While disembarking her homecoming flight on Feb. 24 at the San Francisco International Airport, viral TikTok videos showed Delta employees giving her a shout-out and spectators waiting in the airport terminals for her arrival.

The 20-year-old Olympian became the first United States woman to claim the gold since Sarah Hughes won at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. She also won gold in the team figure skating event alongside teammates Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Ellie Kam, and Danny O’Shea.

U.S. Olympic Figure Skating gold medalist Alysa Liu and host Jimmy Fallon pose together on 'The Tonight Show'.

Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty

Before that awkward post-flight encounter, Liu made an appearance on *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon* on Tuesday night, gifting host Jimmy Fallon a wig emulating her iconic halo hair.

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Luckily, Liu appears to be taking time for herself in spite of the madness. She told *Teen Vogue* that she rested in the Bay Area immediately after the games.

"I went home and I literally did whatever I wanted for five days," she said. "I didn't have any media, and I had no commitments, so it was really great. I got to see a lot of my friends again, and just relax and catch up on sleep. I skated twice just because I wanted to.”

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