She is the first American woman to win an individual medal for figure skating at the Olympics since 2006.
Liu headed into the competition Thursday in third place after scoring 76.59 in the short program. She finished first in the free skate, earning a total of 226.79 across her two performances, propelling her past two Japanese skaters, Kaori Sakamoto, who earned silver and Ami Nakai, who took the bronze.
Liu is coming home with full hands, already winning gold as part of the team event, performing the Women's short program for the USA.
Alysa has more than half a million followers on Instagram and is seen as one of her generation's most accomplished skaters.
She was born in Clovis in 2005, but spent most of her childhood in Oakland, and continues to train in the East Bay.