I love it when Americans succeed on the world’s stage, especially after a comeback. Team USA has shown us this repeatedly at the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina in hockey, figure skating and more.
Americans watched Feb. 22 as the U.S. men’s hockey team won an epic Olympic gold, not only against longtime rival Canada, but 46 years to the exact day after they bested the Soviet Union on the way to Olympic gold, the “Miracle on Ice.”
Perhaps even better was the unabashed patriotism on display by the men’s team after their win. The photo of Jack Hughes, the hockey player who scored the winning goal, with a bloody smile showing two teeth knocked out --- the American flag draped around his shoulders --- is instantly iconic.
“It’s all about our country right now,” Hughes told a reporter. “I love the USA. I love my teammates. It’s unbelievable. The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong… I’m so proud to be an American today.”
Before taking a photo with their gold medals on display, Team members retrieved the children of teammate Johnny Gaudreau, killed by a drunk driver last year, holding his jersey with pride.
Alysa Liu’s Olympic gold is an American success story
Theirs isn’t the only success story or patriotism on display. On Feb. 19, 20-year-old Alysa Liu won the first individual U.S. women's gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002. Her Olympic gold-winning routine is a sight to behold.
I smiled watching Liu, with her unique style, standing proudly on the podium in a stunning gold outfit, hand over her heart as the national anthem played. She leapt for joy.
But the Olympic gold is just one part of Liu’s incredible story.
Her journey to Olympic gold in 2026 could be straight out of a Hollywood thriller featuring China, the U.S., spies and family members. Except it was all real and took years to come to fruition.
Liu’s journey has been a wild ride
Liu’s father, Arthur Liu, protested the Chinese communist government following the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. He fled China as a political refugee and settled in California, where he opened a law firm. Incredibly, he raised Alysa and four other children as a single dad.
Liu started training to ice skate at just five years old. During an interview with “60 Minutes,” her father said he invested between $500,000 and $1 million to help her succeed at this sport. “I spared no money, no time. I just saw talent,” Liu said. His efforts and her work ethic paid off.
Liu first made her Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games at just 16 years-old but even this became complicated due to political tensions.
The Justice Department announced it charged five people for allegedly spying on behalf of the Chinese government, which had targeted U.S. residents who had advocated for democracy in China. Liu told the Associated Press that he and his daughter were both targeted. Now, four years later at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Liu is on the world’s stage representing the U.S., winning gold and smiling at the sound of the national anthem being played.
Actor James Woods posted on X, “Her story is everything great about America, the power of good parenting, and pure personal courage. #AlysaLiu She is America’s Golden Girl!” I couldn’t agree more.
I love to see Olympians proud to represent America
Team USA’s hockey win, along with Liu’s story is refreshing and inspiring. I love to see American athletes at the Olympics, proud to represent our country.
Freestyle skier Hunter Hess told reporters a couple weeks ago that he had “mixed emotions” about the state of American politics but in a recent statement to reporters, clarified his patriotism. “I love the United States of America. I cannot say that enough,” Hess said. “In my original statement, I felt like I said that, but apparently people didn’t take it that way. I’m so happy to be here, so happy to represent Team USA and ride as much as I can.”
After Breezy Johnshon won the first gold medal of the Olympics for the U.S. in the women's downhill, she stood with her hand over her heart, mouthing the words of the national anthem. I love these displays of patriotic pride.
Fox News described Jasmine Jones as “an overnight hero to Americans craving patriotism” because the first-time Olympic bobsledder and Air Force service member didn’t hold back in expressing how proud she was to represent the USA.
Whether the men’s hockey team’s historic gold or Alysa Liu’s incredible story of thriving in America, the patriotism these athletes have shown is inspiring to all Americans.
