Craig Barritt / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
By
January Nelson
Alysa Liu is the 20-year-old who won America’s first Olympic figure skating gold in 24 years, and this spring she made the TIME100 Most Influential People list, which is a small name.
At Pier 60, Chelsea Piers in New York City, the TIME100 Sports Gala on July 16, 2026 brought Alysa Liu to the stage to speak before the gathered crowd. Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images.
On Thursday, that momentum took her to the TIME100 Sports Gala, where she shared a room with Prince Harry and turned heads in a black thong look.
Liu graced the red velvet curtain at the TIME100 Sports Gala on July 16, 2026, wearing a plunging black lace cheongsam with a formal corset bodice. Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images.
Alysa Liu took the stage at the TIME100 Sports Gala at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers in New York on Thursday wearing a black lace dress with a high collar cut in a cheongsam style with frog buttons, her hair pulled back and streaked with color.
At Pier 60 in New York City, the TIME100 Sports Gala on July 16, 2026 brought together Alysa Liu, Madison Chock, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, caught in the middle of a conversation. Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images.
Prince Harry and ice dancer Madison Chock were in the house. In one candid photo from the night, Liu laughs alongside Harry as she waves with both hands and appears to be looking away, almost as if she’s making a point not to look at his stark black lace look.
Eileen Gu, Alysa Liu, and Madison Chock pose together under the TIME100 Sports sign at Pier 60 on July 16, 2026, in three stunning outfits. Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images.
The Oakland-raised UCLA student won gold in women’s singles at the 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina, becoming the first American woman to do so since Sarah Hughes in 2002. He also helped Team USA win team gold. In April, he was named to the TIME100 Most Influential People list, the youngest person in it, with comedian Bowen Yang writing his profile.
Eileen Gu, Alysa Liu, and Madison Chock smile for the camera at the TIME100 Sports Gala at Pier 60 on July 16, 2026, in a close-up, warmly lit photo. Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images.
Liu has never been one to misbehave. After winning the Olympic gold, she looked down on the medal: “I don’t need this. But what I needed was the stage, and I got that. So I was good, no matter what. If I fell on every jump, I would still be wearing this dress, so it’s all good.”
Photojournalist Alysa Liu smiles on the red carpet at the TIME100 Sports Gala in New York on July 16, 2026, showing off the full silhouette of her sheer black lace mermaid gown. Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images.
The TIME100 Sports Gala came just one night after Liu took home the ESPY for Most Outstanding Athlete at Lincoln Center.
At the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City, figure skater Alysa Liu appears at the 2026 ESPY Awards on July 15, 2026. Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images.
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