Alysa Liu won the women's figure skating world title on Friday, delivering a dazzling free skate to edge three-time defending champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan. Liu, who walked away from the sport in 2022 at the age of 16 and returned just a year ago, defied the pressure Sakamoto piled on with a brilliant free skate of her own and became the first U.S. woman to win the world title since Kimmie Meissner in 2006. "This is an insane story," Liu, still just 19, told broadcaster NBC. "I don't know how I came back to be world champion. I never would have thought. "Even, like, coming into this competition, I couldn't believe I won the short. I was like, I don't think I'm the best in the world. I was like, this doesn't feel like a win. But now, I don't know. I have to process this." Skating last as the leader after the short program, Liu had seen Sakamoto surge from fifth to first. But the American responded, bringing the sellout crowd at TD Garden to their feet with a thrilling routine to Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park". From her opening triple-triple combination, Liu went from strength to strength, scoring 148.39 for the free skate for a total of 222.97 points. "This is the best routine that I've ever done out of practice, every competition I've done this season. This was the best," said Liu, who beamed in delight and possibly disbelief as the crowd roared and she left the ice. Sakamoto's bid to become the first woman in 65 years to win four consecutive world crowns had taken a hit when she finished a disappointing fifth in the short program. But she gave herself a shot with a free skate that garnered 146.95 points and vaulted her to the lead on 217.98 points. But as Liu waited for her scores to be delivered, Sakamoto raced over to congratulate the American. Liu, who has called her first full season back a "starter season", has now stamped herself a favorite for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics less than a year away. Japan's Mone Chiba, second after the short program, was third with a total of 215.24 points.