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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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In becoming the first female figure skater from the United States to win an Olympic gold since 2002, Alysa Liu united American figure skating fans around her historic performance at the Milan-Cortina Games.
More news: Alysa Liu, Eileen Gu Face Contrasting Receptions in Bay Area
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Liu also united a unique cross-section of sports fans: jilted Golden State Warriors, A's, and Las Vegas Raiders fans who saw their teams leave Oakland in the last decade.
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A rally was held March 12 in downtown Oakland to celebrate Liu's two gold medals in Milan, in the women's singles event and as a member of the U.S. team in the team event.
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In Oakland, Liu's moment in the spotlight underscored a harsh reality in a city whose sports fans haven't had a lot to celebrate. Fans who gathered near Oakland's City Hall on Thursday showed up wearing A's green-and-gold paraphernalia more than a year after the team departed for a its temporary home in Sacramento.
The A's were the last of Oakland's three major professional sports franchises to leave town. The Warriors moved into San Francisco's Chase Center ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season. The Raiders officially moved to Las Vegas in January 2020.
"It's bringing hope back to the city," one fan wearing A's gear told NBC Bay Area about Liu. "It's amazing."
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Visit Oakland President and CEO Peter Gamez told San Francisco-based KRON that he expected approximately 7,000 to attend the March 12 rally to catch a glimpse of Liu.
The Bay Area has been greeting Liu with a hero's welcome from the moment she arrived. The 20-year-old had yet to leave the airport when a flight attendant on the plane carrying Liu home from Italy in February seized an intercom and welcomed her back.
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Weeks later, Oakland is still reveling in Liu's Olympic triumph. And, really, who can blame them?
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