Alysa Liu delivers the US its first women's figure skating world championship in nearly 2 decades

BOSTON (AP) — Alysa Liu skated around the ice in disbelief, her golden dress shimmering in the lights of TD Garden, and the appreciative roar from a sellout crowd reminded her why she had returned to the sport following a nearly two-year retirement.

When her score was finally read, the 19-year-old from Clovis, California, had made history.

Liu became the first American women’s figure skating world champion in nearly two decades, dethroning three-time defending champ Kaori Sakamoto with a brilliant free skate Friday night. Her program to a rendition of “MacArthur Park” by Boston native Donna Summer earned her a standing ovation, and allowed Liu to finish with 222.97 points.

“I mean, it means so much to me and everything I've been through,” Liu said. “My last skating experience, my time away and this time around — I'm so happy, I guess. I'm mostly glad I could put out two of my best performances.”

Liu's coaches, Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali, pulled her into a hug in the kiss-and-cry area of the arena. Moments later, Sakamoto came over from where she had watched in the leader's chair and squeezed her tightly, as if Japan’s hero was passing Liu the torch as the first world champion from the U.S. since Kimmie Meissner stood atop the podium in 2006.

“What the hell?” Liu asked in disbelief. “I don’t know. I don’t know how to process this.”

Sakamoto finished with 217.98 points to add a silver medal to her three previous golds. Her Japanese teammate, Mone Chiba, was third with 215.24 points while Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn gave the Americans three of the top five.

“We are all so strong,” Levito said, “and we are all such fighters, and we all have our strengths, and are so different but we’re all so sweet with each other. I’m just so glad these are my fellow Team USA skaters.”

Liu was once considered the sport's rising star, the youngest-ever U.S. champ when she triumphed at the age of 13 in 2019, and then defended her title the following year. She fulfilled a childhood ambition by qualifying for the Olympics, finishing sixth at the 2022 Beijing Games, and earned a bronze medal at the world championships that year.

Then she stepped away. Liu decided that skating had become less of joy and more of a job, and she wanted to focus on being a normal college student. It wasn't until she went on a ski trip and felt the rush of competition — albeit in a much different way, and with far lower stakes — that she began to think about a comeback.

Early last year, she made it official with a cryptic posting on social media. And while the path back in a notoriously fickle sport was bumpy, to be sure, Liu took a big step forward with her second-place finish to Glenn at the U.S. championships.

She took the last step up on the podium Friday night.

“Not every yesterday, I didn't expect this. I didn't have expectations coming in,” Liu said. “I never have expectations coming into competitions anymore. It's moreso, ‘What can I put out performance-wise?’ I really met my expectations on my part.”

She left Sakamoto, the erstwhile champion, with feelings of awe and admiration.

“She went away and now she's back, and the world champion,” Sakamoto said. “I wouldn't say she's changed. Her cheerfulness and kindness and the way she's always happy brought her to the stop step of the podium.”

Earlier in the night, American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates built a big cushion as they chase their third consecutive title, scoring a season-best 90.18 points for their rhythm dance to lead Canadian rivals Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.

Gilles and Poirier scored 86.44 points to their dance, set to music from The Beach Boys. They held the lead only long enough for the U.S. duo to finish their “tour of the decades” program, which earned them a raucous ovation inside TD Garden.

The International Skating Union chose the theme this season of social dances and styles of the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s. But while some skaters picked one — the Watusi, the Madison or disco — Chock and Bates threw it all into their rollicking showcase.

“It was probably the most fun I've had thus far on competitive ice in a performance, maybe ever,” Chock said. “It was really a joy to perform in front of a home crowd and share that excitement with Evan. It was the best.”

Now, Chock and Bates will try to finish off the first three-peat since Russia's Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov in the 1990s.

“That’s a tough amount of points to catch up on,” Poirier admitted, “but we also know that sport is really unpredictable.”

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Kaori Sakamoto, of Japan, performs during the women's free skating program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Kaori Sakamoto, of Japan, reacts after performing during the women's free skating program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, of the United States, perform during the ice dance rhythm dance program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, of the United States, perform during the ice dance rhythm dance program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, of Canada, perform during the ice dance rhythm dance program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, of Great Britain, perform during the ice dance rhythm dance program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, of Canada, perform during the ice dance rhythm dance program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, of Canada, perform during the ice dance rhythm dance program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, of the United States, perform during the ice dance rhythm dance program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, of the United States, perform during the ice dance rhythm dance program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Alysa Liu, of the United States, performs during the women's free skating program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Alysa Liu, of the United States, performs during the women's free skating program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Alysa Liu, of the United States, performs during the women's free skating program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Naval Academy has removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office to review and get rid of ones that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, U.S officials said Tuesday.

Academy officials were told to review the library late last week, and an initial search had identified about 900 books for a closer look. They decided on nearly 400 to remove and began doing so Monday, finishing before Hegseth arrived for a visit Tuesday that had already been planned and was not connected to the library purge, officials said. A list of the books has not yet been made available.

Pulling the books off the shelves is another step in the Trump administration’s far-reaching effort to eliminate so-called DEI content from federal agencies, including policies, programs, online and social media postings and curriculum at schools.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said late Tuesday, “All service academies are fully committed to executing and implementing President Trump’s Executive Orders.”

The Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, had not been included in President Donald Trump's executive order in January that banned DEI instruction, programs or curriculum in kindergarten through 12th grade schools that receive federal funding. That is because the academies are colleges.

Pentagon leaders, however, suddenly turned their attention to the Naval Academy last week when a media report noted that the school had not removed books that promoted DEI. A U.S. official said the academy was told late last week to conduct the review and removal. It isn't clear if the order was directed by Hegseth or someone else on his staff.

A West Point official confirmed that the school had completed a review of its curriculum and was prepared to review library content if directed by the Army. The Air Force and Naval academies had also done curriculum reviews as had been required.

An Air Force Academy official said the school continually reviews its curriculum, coursework and other materials to ensure it all complies with executive orders and Defense Department policies. Last week, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, the Air Force Academy superintendent, told Congress that the school was in the middle of its course review, but there was no mention of books.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss academy policies.

Hegseth has aggressively pushed the department to erase DEI programs and online content, but the campaign has been met with questions from angry lawmakers, local leaders and citizens over the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from Defense Department websites and social media pages.

In response, the department has scrambled to restore some of those posts as their removals have come to light.

The confusion about how to interpret the DEI policy was underscored Monday as Naval Academy personnel mistakenly removed some photos of distinguished female Jewish graduates from a display case as they prepared for Hegseth's visit. The photos were put back.

In a statement, the Navy said it is aware that photos were mistakenly removed from the Naval Academy Jewish Center. It said U.S. Naval Academy leadership was immediately taking steps to review and correct the unauthorized removal.

Hegseth spoke with students and had lunch at the academy Tuesday, but media were not invited or allowed to cover the visit.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a joint news conference with Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo Sunday, March 30, 2025. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)

FILE - An entrance to the U.S. Naval Academy campus in Annapolis, Md., is seen Jan. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)