By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics have come and gone with some notable performers from many Asian and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) athletes.
From left to right, silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, gold medalist Alysa Liu of the United States, and bronze medalist Ami Nakai of Japan, bite their medals after competing in the women’s free skate program in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Alysa Liu was the marquee performer of the Olympics, winning gold in the women’s figure skating free skate. The 20-year-old from San Francisco’s Bay Area commanded the skate arena, as she performed her free skate segment to “MacArthur Park Suite” by Donna Summer. It was a flawless performance and earned Liu the gold medal.
Liu’s carefree nature seemed to propel her, even through the pressure. After her retirement from skating in 2022 following the Beijing Olympics, Liu’s return rekindled her fire for the sport. She exuded confidence and joy throughout the Olympics, which culminated in her individual performance.
Her popularity surged. She gained 210,000 Instagram followers during her time at the Milano Cortina Olympics. Summer’s song saw an uptick of 505% on all major U.S. platforms. The 1978 disco hit drew about 12,000 streams per day in the six days leading up to the event. After Liu’s gold medal performance, the song was streamed 115,000 times on Friday and 139,000 times on Saturday, according to entertainment analytics platform Luminate.
Liu, who is Chinese American, has a stable of sponsorship deals, including Samsung, Nike, Gillette Venus, Procter & Gamble, and AmLactin. The list will likely grow in the coming months.
In addition to her individual gold medal, Liu also received a gold medal in the team event.
Among those on Team USA to win medals include Ellie Kam and Madison Chock.
Chock and partner Evan Bates were favorites to win the gold this year in ice dancing. They earned career best scores in the first two days of the Free Dance event. However, they fell short by just 1.34 points to the French team of Laurence Fournier Beudry and Guillaume Cizerone.
“We really gave it our all, and I wouldn’t change anything about how we approached each performance, what we delivered in each performance,” said Chock after the competition.
There was some controversy surrounding the scoring of the final, as the French judge scored Chock and Bates’ final performance lower than any other evaluator in the free dance segment. Fans created a petition demanding an investigation. Officials did not find any wrongdoing.
It was the first gold medal for Kam in her Olympic debut. The 21-year-old from Colorado went on to place 9th in pairs skating with partner Daniel O’Shea.
Chloe Kim sustained a dislocated shoulder while training in Switzerland prior to the Olympics. Although there was some concern about her competing, Kim confirmed that she would compete a week prior to the Olympics.
Kim attempted to win a third straight gold medal in the halfpipe event, something no male or female has done since the start of the event in 2014. With just South Korea’s Choi Gaon in front of her in the standings going into the last run, Kim decided to go for it, rather than playing it safe. In her last run, attempting to propel herself past Gaon, Kim fell on the final and most difficult jump on her run. Gaon won the gold medal. Kim finished with silver.
The second place finish was not a disappointment for Kim. Kim publicly stated prior to the Milan Olympics that she was experiencing burnout from snowboarding. She no longer felt it satisfying. “I had to make that shift and start snowboarding for myself and not worry too much about the medals and the awards and whatnot,” Kim told the media.
Newport High School alumni Eunice Lee was part of the U.S. speedskating team that participated in the short track speedskating relay. Unfortunately for Lee, the relay team was penalized in the finals and did not make the podium. It was the second Olympics for the Duke undergraduate.
Although Lee participated in the Beijing Olympics in 2022, she did not have a full Olympic experience, as COVID-19 protocols were still in place. Lee was an alternate in 2022, but in Milan Cortina, she was able to compete. Lee stated that one of her best moments was running into Chock and Evan Bates.
Lee was born in San Diego, California, before moving to South Korea. She moved to Bellevue, Washington, when she was 6 years old. There, she began rhythmic gymnastics and ice skating, eventually turning her focus to speedskating. She trains in Tacoma with former Korean national team coach Chang Lee, coach of the Puget Sound Speedskating Club.
In 2020, Lee was named the Short Track Developmental Female Skater of the Year. and moved to Utah to join the Short Track Junior National Program.
Andy Heo’s second Olympics did not go as planned. During the speedskating final, Heo’s relay team suffered a fall and were out of the running for a medal. His team finished eighth in the 2,000 meter mixed relay. In his individual events, he finished 11th in the 1,500 meter men’s race and 13th in the 500 meter men’s race. Heo was able to make it into the final heat of the men’s 500 meter speedskating final.
Heo wrote on Instagram: “Going into yesterday’s 500m, I felt strong and confident in my abilities but things didn’t go the way I had planned and hoped for… had a few pretty bad slips and I just wasn’t able to get it done in the end. I didn’t skate the way that I know I’m capable of which hurts but this is just a part of the sport. My mindset has been and still is that at the Olympics, you have more to gain than lose. Holding onto that, I’m able to leave feeling blessed to even be at my second Olympics representing not just the United States of America but also myself along with everything and everyone that’s been a part of this wild but amazing journey.”
His teammate, Brandon Kim, did not fare so well. The short track speedskater from Virginia fell in the men’s 500 meter quarterfinal and caused other competitors to fall in front of him. Because of this, he was disqualified. It was the second disqualification of this Olympics for Kim. He was first disqualified from one of the men’s 1,000 meter heats.
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.