American figure skater Alysa Liu has been skating since she was 5 years old. And, throughout her figure skating career, she has won numerous medals and titles.
In 2019, she became the youngest U.S. national women’s champion at 13, and she won again the following year. With her figure skating ability, she was the first American woman to land a triple axel and a quad jump in competition. She competed at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, earning a world bronze medal and placing sixth in the singles event. At the 2022 World Championships, she received her first senior medal.
Following that season, Liu announced that she would retire from the skating world at 16. She explained that the sport had dominated her life and that she wanted to experience things outside of skating and the pressure of it. In 2023, she went on a ski trip that convinced her to return to skating, thinking that if skiing was fun for her, skating could be, too. She decided to return in 2024 and placed major emphasis on making changes in her career, including greater control over her training, music, creative input, and nutrition after years of intense control earlier in her career.
In an interview on “60 Minutes” with CBS News, she said, “I get to pick my own program music … If I feel like I’m skating too much, I’ll back down … No one’s gonna starve me or tell me what I can and can’t eat.” She emphasized that figure skating is a personal choice, something she can find joy in, rather than something that generates pressure and heavy expectations.
Now, in 2026, she has a pair of gold medals after winning the women’s singles title and helping the United States team secure gold with her short program performance. In the women’s singles, she had a free skate that earned a score of 226.79 and became the first American woman in 24 years to win Olympic gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002. Her performance was remarkable because of the ease and sheer joy she expressed.
Typically, in women’s figure skating, there is an atmosphere of extreme pressure and tension, with tight facial expressions, cautious landings, and heavy emotional packaging. In contrast, Liu skated with open body language, relaxed shoulders, and smiles. Commenters noted how calm she was during the kiss-and-cry and warmups, which differed from other skaters’ worry and nervousness.
Alysa Liu created a calm and positive atmosphere during her performances and proved her comeback. When she returned, she said she did it for the love of the sport, and she showed it at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
In a sport usually associated with burnout and rigidity, Liu embodied a lighter approach; her performance and comeback changed the figure skating atmosphere, becoming a major influence for up-and-coming skaters.
