American patriotism shines on the Olympic stage

From figure skating to hockey to skiing, it has been a good few days for American patriotism on the global sports stage at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Thursday was a banner day for American gold, with the U.S. women’s hockey team winning in sudden-death overtime against Canada. After steamrolling all challengers (including Canada the first time), the Americans trailed Canada 1-0 until there were two minutes left. Team captain Hilary Knight scored on a deflection to send it to overtime, and Megan Keller scored the winner in sudden death, capping a phenomenal run for the team. The American women then stood arm in arm and sang along to the national anthem.

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Meanwhile, in figure skating, Alysa Liu returned from her early retirement and won gold, jumping from third to first after the final free skate and securing her second gold medal of the games. She became the first American woman to medal in figure skating since 2006, and the first to win gold since 2002. Liu’s ability to completely shut out all stress and compete as if she didn’t have a care in the world makes her one of the most mentally tough athletes on the planet.

But Liu’s story is also profoundly American. Liu and her family have been targeted, stalked, and harassed by the Chinese government because her father supported democracy in China and fled the country as a political refugee from its tyrannical communist government. Her victory is a victory for America, not just because of the flag she competes under, but because of what her story represents.

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Liu is a perfect counter to Eileen Gu, the media-trained media darling skier from San Francisco who sold out to compete for China. Gu chose to represent a genocidal, tyrannical communist government in exchange for millions in endorsements, telling others to “cry about it.” Gu has failed to capture gold in two of her three events, and is not the favorite to win in the third on Saturday either. Liu winning gold for America because her father believes in American principles, while Gu fails to win after selling herself to China, would be the cap on a perfect week of American sports.

The best part of the Olympics is the reminder of what it truly means to be an American. The U.S. women’s hockey team and Alysa Liu perfectly personify the mental fortitude, the perseverance, and the pride with which every American should carry themselves. The United States is the greatest country in the world, precisely because of stories like the women’s hockey team and Liu.