OPINION:
Last week, Alysa Liu became the first American woman figure skater to win any individual Olympic medal since 2006 and is the first to come home with gold since 2002.
In 1989, her father, Arthur Liu, fled China as a political refugee after the Tiananmen Square massacre. He came to America with a dream of a free life. Decades later, his daughter became the face of Team USA.
Still, the Chinese Communist Party didn’t forget. Before the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Ms. Liu and her father became the targets of a CCP espionage ring that stalked them on U.S. soil and pressured their silence.
Five men were charged with spying on the Chinese dissidents in 2021. One allegedly impersonated a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee official and asked for Ms. Liu and her father’s passport numbers. The Chinese spies traveled to California’s Bay Area, where the Liu family lived, and tried to obtain private information from the family to supply to the Chinese government.
Still, Ms. Liu competed in the Beijing Olympics after the USPOC and the State Department gave her security assurances. At least two people escorted Ms. Liu at all times in Beijing.
“[The CCP is] probably just trying to intimidate us, to … in a way threaten us not to say anything, to cause trouble to them and say anything political or related to human rights violations in China. … I had concerns about her safety. The U.S. government did a good job protecting her,” Mr. Liu told The Associated Press at the time.
Last week, the Lius’ American story became complete. Ms. Liu didn’t skate in the Milan Cortina Games just for an Olympic medal; she skated for the freedom her father risked everything for. As she glided on the ice flawlessly to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park,” Mr. Liu was seen cheering from the stands, hugging the American flag.
It was the definition of true patriotism. The Lius are American heroes.
So too is Jack Hughes, whose sudden-death overtime goal propelled Team USA to its first gold medal in 46 years in men’s hockey. Their Canadian opponents were favored to win the final and outshot the U.S. 42-28, controlling the puck for most of the game. However, it was American grit that won the day.
Mr. Hughes had several teeth bashed out midgame, courtesy of a high stick to the mouth, but he continued to skate. U.S. goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck defended shot after shot, frustrating the Canadians repeatedly over the course of hours.
Once victory was secured, the entire American team — draped in red, white and blue — flooded the ice, with the children of teammate Johnny Gaudreau in tow. Gaudreau never competed in the Games, as he was killed by a drunken driver a year and a half ago. His children posed with their late father’s jersey, celebrating another miracle on ice.
“This is all about our country right now. I love the USA. I love my teammates, it’s unbelievable,” Mr. Hughes told NBC after the victory. “The USA Hockey brotherhood, it’s so strong. We had so much support from ex-players, and I’m so proud to be American today.”
As for his bloodied mouth?
“I’m lucky I’m from the best country in the world, and we’ve got great dentists there too,” Mr. Hughes laughed from his toothless mouth in Milan. “So I’m lucky I’m American, and they’re going to fix me right up.”
President Trump called into the men’s locker room after the victory and invited the players to the State of the Union address Tuesday. The team, chugging beers, clinching their gold medals tightly to their chests, laughing and praising American troops, agreed.
“You’re going to be proud of that game for 50 years, as you grow older,” said the president, talking on speakerphone to the team. “It was amazing, we love you guys. Congratulations … and I hope to see you Tuesday night.”
No matter what one’s politics, we’re all Americans. Team USA on the ice at these Olympics, whether it be doing triple axels or blocking hockey pucks, gave us all reason to believe in our greatness.
• Kelly Sadler is the commentary editor at The Washington Times.
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