FROM THE ARCHIVE: Oakland's Alysa Liu was making history at 13 and had Olympic dreams

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Oakland's own Alysa Liu is a gold medalist!

The local figure skater wowed the judges at the Winter Games Thursday with a stunning routine - that netted her the country's first individual gold medal in figure skating since Sarah Hughes in 2002.

MORE: Oakland's Alysa Liu gives US its first women's figure skating Olympic gold in 24 years

It's a remarkable career for the 20-year-old who retired after the 2022 winter Olympics in Beijing after finishing 8th in the short program.

In 2024, she decided to return to skating and has capped off a comeback with gold medals.

But for local skaters and those who have been following her career, her triumph is not a surprise.

ABC7 Eyewitness News reporter Lyanne Melendez spoke with Liu in 2019 when the newly minted gold medalist was just 13, and thinking about her future Olympic dreams.