It was just a year ago that Alysa Liu announced she was returning to figure skating after over two years away.

Friday (28 March) night in Boston, the 19-year-old won the world title in shocking fashion, becoming the first U.S. woman to do so in 19 years – since Kimmie Meissner in 2006.

“WHAT?!” Liu shouted as she completed a spell-binding free skate in front of a packed house at TD Garden, which roared around her as she threw her hands over her head.

“What?!” she repeated to her coaches Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali as the audience continued to roar around her.

It marked the most unexpected of comebacks for the teen at these ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2025, having won the U.S. title at 13 in 2019, qualified for the Beijing Olympics at 16 and then retired after winning bronze at Worlds in 2022.

Liu had a slow climb up the international circuit this season, and was the lowest-ranked of the three American women – herself, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito – entering Boston.

But from her near-perfect short program to the end of a breezy, joy-filled free skate, Liu looked unfazed by the world stage. She led after the short program, then notched a 148.39 as the last skater in final group of women, following a standout performance from three-time and reigning world champion Sakamoto Kaori.

But Sakamoto, sitting in the arena’s new “leader chair” rinkside, could only watch as Liu hit element after element, including seven triple jumps – three in combination.

She had the Boston crowd in the palm of her hands, skating to (Boston native) Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park” – already celebrating the world champion in the year leading up to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Liu totalled 222.97 to Sakamoto’s 217.98.