(Courtesy The Oaklandside)

by Azucena Rasilla

More than 4,000 fans showed up downtown for the Olympic ice skating champion, including Oakland athletes and musicians.

Fans of Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu began lining up early on Thursday morning at Frank Ogawa Plaza to catch a glimpse of the ice skater who has become a global superstar. Almost every Bay Area sports team, from the Valkyries to the Roots, presented her with a custom jersey. Mayor Barbara Lee presented Liu with a key to the city, shaped like an oak tree, made by artists at The Crucible, an artists hub and school in West Oakland. Liu is one of only a handful of locals who have received Oakland’s key, including D’Wayne Wiggins, the late founding member of the R&B soul band Tony! Toni! Toné!; Fredrika Newton, the widow of Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton; and rapper Mistah F.A.B. When MC Sway Calloway asked Liu what one word describes Oakland, she said, “Soul” — and the crowd went wild. Liu is the first U.S. woman in 24 years to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. And she brought home two. The Oakland celebration began inside City Hall, in the council chambers, where Liu fielded questions from journalists and reflected on learning to navigate her newfound fame. “Most people have been really respectful, so I’ve been grateful for that,” Liu said. “But, yeah, I gotta learn how to live my life and go on about my day without getting stopped too many times.” Liu also shouted out her Chinese heritage, her Oakland upbringing, and the importance of representation in the Olympics. “I love being half Chinese, and both my parents are actually full Chinese, so I was raised in a complete Chinese household,” she said. “It shaped a lot of who I am today.”

On the lawn in front of City Hall, Liu’s family, fans, and elected officials kept up the energy despite the unusually hot weather. Oakland’s D-Sharp, the official DJ of the Golden State Warriors, spun a setlist packed with Bay Area classics, including Mac Dre, the Jacka, P-Lo, LaRussell, and more.

The rally, organized by Lee’s office, the City of Oakland, and Visit Oakland, the city’s tourism bureau, and produced by Oakland Venue Management, brought out a range of Oakland personalities eager to celebrate the gold medal champ. According to Mayor Lee’s communications director, Justin Phillips, Liu didn’t want to know any details about the rally ahead of time. Calloway, the longtime MTV News host and journalist, known locally for his radio days at 106 KMEL, infused his MC role with love for The Town. “Ain’t nothing better in the world than Oakland, California,” Calloway told the crowd as he took the stage. Sway did a rapid-fire Q&A with Liu so people in the crowd — and those who watched the livestream — could learn a little more about her. Liu said that hip-hop is the music that gets her going before getting on the ice. She talked about how much she loves eating at restaurants in Oakland Chinatown. She also said she loves the view of Oakland from the hills, and loves how many prodigies have come out of OSA. “Oakland is so creative,” she said. “We got a lot of soul here, and there’s so many people that are so inspiring. We’re so grounded. My friend group here is just the best. And I love, I love this place.”