Oakland planning celebration for Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu

By Jose Fabian

A celebration to honor two-time Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu is in the works in Oakland, the city announced on Tuesday.

Liu returned to the Bay Area having won gold in the team skating event and in the individual figure skating event. Her gold medal in the individual event is the first for an American woman since 2002.

 “Alysa represents the heart, grit, resilience, and joy of Oakland. Her achievement has filled our city with pride, and we are coordinating with her team now to finalize a date so the community can celebrate her together,” the city of Oakland said.

Liu, who was raised in Richmond and trained at Oakland Ice, has been the talk of the town, inspiring other young skaters.

“She comes from (Oakland Ice), so it proves that anybody from here can also go to the Olympics and compete,” Giada Lee said.   

A date for the community-wide event has not been set yet, with the city saying to stay tuned for details.