Her Instagram following reached 6.2 million as of Friday after her performance at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics this month, Newsweek magazine said.

Liu, 20, had less than 300,000 Instagram followers before the start of the Olympics, according to Fox News.

She won her first gold on Feb. 8 as part of Team USA in the team event. On Feb. 19, she captured global attention in the women’s singles free skate with her performance to MacArthur Park Suite by Donna Summer. She climbed from third place to win the title and secure the United States’ first Olympic gold in the event in 24 years.

Her routine went viral on social media, making her one of the most followed athletes of the Games.

Social media analytics platform Metricool said she had the largest social media follower growth of any Olympic athlete. As of Feb. 17, her following had increased 357%, and after her women’s singles victory, it rose another 900%.

In comparison, snowboarder Chloe Kim’s following grew 300%; figure skater Ilia Malinin’s increased 232.4%; while ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates saw gains of 125.6% and 117.2%, respectively.

Her performances, positive demeanor and return to competition after a two-year retirement contributed to her popularity. Over the weekend, she posted a photo on Instagram with her two gold medals and wrote: “These are for you all.”

In an interview with NBCLiu said she has no plans to retire and is likely to aim for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.

“I have no plans to leave yet. I can’t imagine not skating next year. … Definitely [don’t think of figure skating as] a job. I just feel so lucky I get to do this. I love being an athlete. It is the coolest thing in the world,” she told the television network.

Born in California, Liu is an American figure skater of Chinese descent. She became one of the youngest U.S. national champions as a teenager. After retiring at 16 to pursue a normal life, she returned at 18 and won her first world title at 19.