Frightening moment Olympic hero Alysa Liu, 20, left panicked as protestor tries to storm Met Gala red carpet

Figure skater Alysa Liu nearly had her Met Gala moment ruined after a protestor attempted to jump the fence and break into the event directly in front of her.

Olympic hero Liu, 20, was striking a pose for the cameras on the red carpet when the chaotic scenes unfolded at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday night. 

In a video which has gone viral on social media, Liu appeared shocked and disturbed as the commotion began and remained frozen in place as the man attempted to enter.

Footage showed the man attempting to hurdle the fence at the event in New York and run onto the red carpet, before police intervened and tackled him to the ground. 

As the video began circulating online, fans noted Liu’s ‘petrified’ expression as she attempted to keep cool while in front of the sea of cameras.

Thankfully, the disturbance didn’t cause any further issues for the figure skater and Liu was able to regain her composure and strike a pose on the red carpet. 

The US Olympic star watched on as a protestor attempted to break into the glitzy fashion event

The chaos unfolded while Liu was posing for photos at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

On the night, Liu opted for a ruffled burgundy dress made by Louis Vuitton, along with matching heels, a diamond choker and her signature blond-and-brown hair.

The 20-year-old, who captured the nation’s hearts at the Winter Olympics, stepped out just hours after announcing her new partnership with the fashion designer.

‘I’m so honored to be able to be part of something so artistic,’ said Liu.

‘I’m just glad that I’m able to connect with people of all kinds. In my figure skating, I have to perform and connect with people. I think that life is all about connection and bringing people together.’

The 20-year-old made history at the Milan-Cortina Games after becoming the first American woman in 24 years to claim an individual gold in figure skating.

Less than four years after she briefly retired from the sport, the double gold-medal triumph in Italy marked the pinnacle of Liu’s career.

At just 13 years of age, Liu became the youngest US national champion in history, before she competed at the 2022 Beijing Olympics at 16. 

After winning a World Championship bronze later that year, the California-born star abruptly quit figure skating in 2022.

The protestor was quickly apprehended by police before he could enter the Met Gala

American figure skater Liu won the gold medal in the women’s singles event in February

On Monday night, she opted for a ruffled, burgundy dress designed by Louis Vuitton

She eventually returned to competition in 2024 and claimed victory at the World Championship just one year later, before picking up two gold medals in Italy.

Meanwhile, Liu wasn’t the only Winter Olympian who turned heads on Monday night, with fellow US star Lindsey Vonn also making an appearance on the red carpet. 

Vonn took her first steps without the aid of crutches as she climbed the steps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art since her horrific Olympics crash.

Though her beaded, white mermaid gown – which took 4,000 hours to make – caught attention, the most striking aspect of Vonn’s appearance was the lack of crutches. 

Dressed by Thom Browne, the American fashion house even designed a custom cane for Vonn to use for the opulent occasion as she stepped out on Monday night.