American figure skater Alysa Liu became a viral sensation on Thursday after winning gold in the women’s singles figure skating final at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

She won her second gold medal of the event and became the first American woman to win singles gold in figure skating since 2002.

Liu delivered one of the best performances of her career, holding off silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto and bronze medalist Ami Nakai, both from Japan. She also earned some praise for celebrating Nakai’s third-place accomplishment more than her own.

But she wasn’t the only member of her family going viral on social media. Liu’s dad Arthur also drew some attention on social media for his immediate reaction to his daughter’s triumphant moment.

A video of Arthur clapping and celebrating Liu’s win while gripping an American flag started making the rounds on social media, garnering half a million views along with nearly 40,000 likes on X.

Fans praised Arthur for not only supporting his daughter but unashamedly representing the United States.

“I love this!!  there’s nothing that beats support from the family,” one fan stated.

“Absolutely heartwarming  seeing Alysa Liu’s father celebrate her gold with the American flag is pure pride and joy.. a moment to remember!” another fan wrote.

“Her performance was amazing and what a beautiful moment for the family!!” a third posted.

“What a heartwarming moment! You can really feel the pride radiating from him. Alysa truly deserves this!” one user remarked.

“The moment you make one shill  A father is proud of his daughter There is no greater feeling than this ,” another user exclaimed.

Arthur’s support of the U.S. has been a much-talked about topic over the last several weeks during the Olympics.

Born in China, Arthur emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 25. It’s been reported that China allegedly targeted Liu and Arthur in a spy operation ahead of the 2022 Beijing Olympics — further putting a spotlight on them and Liu’s representing the U.S. in the Olympics.

SOURCE: NEWSWEEK