The Winter Olympics wanted her Gold Medal back.
Figure skater Alysa Liu is already having the time of her life at the Winter Olympics.
Liu was among the Team USA figure skaters — Amber Glenn, Ilia Malinin, Ellie Kam, Danny O’Shea, Madison Chock, and Evan Bates — who won gold in the team event. They were joined on the podium by Team Japan and Team Italy, who finished in second and third place, respectively.
The good times would not last very long after winning that medal. A CNN TikTok video shared this week showed that multiple athletes had their Gold medals fall apart. Alysa Liu was one of those athletes.
After winning her first gold medal, she was excited to show it off. She admittedly jumped up and down, and it ultimately broke off the ribbon and bounced off the floor.
Now, she has been forced to return it. Not because she did something bad, but to get a new one.
Alysa Liu Wasn’t Allowed to Keep Her Olympic Gold Medal After It Broke
Figure skater Alysa Liu was heartbroken after her Gold medal fell and bounced on the ground. She was just the latest athlete whose medal unexpectedly detached from its ribbon.
“I was just jumping up and down, as one does to celebrate, and it just dropped,” she told Overtime in an interview. “It just literally fell off of the ribbon. It got very scratched up… pretty dented.”
Despite the imperfections, Alysa was happy to keep it. However, she could not, as she was forced to return it.
“I actually liked it when it was off the ribbon, but that’s not allowed,” the 20-year-old said. “I had to give it in. I was like, ‘Can’t you just fix this one?’ I’m attached. But it’s OK, I’m detached. Just like it was.”
In all her photos and videos, Liu wears a gold medal around her neck, but it is a different medal from the one she won on Sunday. The Olympic committee was quick to reach out to Liu and ask her to meet with them to arrange a replacement medal. Liu protested and wanted to keep the one she originally won. However, the Olympics still replaced it.
“[It’s] a new one,” Liu said. “I was just jumping up and down, as one does to celebrate, and it just dropped. It just literally fell off the ribbon.”
Her time at the Olympics is not over. Alysa Liu will attempt to win another gold next week in the women’s individual competition.
