Born and raised in California’s Bay Area to a lawyer father, Arthur Liu, Alysa grew up on the ice, starting figure skating at just five years old. Her recreational skating lessons turned serious quite fast when she decided to start competing. Liu rose to fame in 2019 after becoming the youngest U.S. women’s figure skating champion at the ripe age of thirteen. Liu broke this record that was once held by Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski, who won it when she was fourteen.
In 2022, Liu competed in the Beijing Winter Olympics, where she finished in seventh overall in the women’s singles figure skating event, which was the highest placement for the United States in that category that year. In April of 2022, Liu went on to win a bronze medal at the World Figure Skating Championships in women’s singles. This was the first time a U.S. woman reached the world podium since 2016.
Following the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and a bronze medal at the World Championships, Liu would announce her retirement at sixteen years old. In casual Gen Z fashion, Liu wrote in an Instagram post, “I’m here to announce that I am retiring from skating” and that she is “moving on” with her life in a since-deleted post. She also added that she was satisfied with her career and later told NBC Sports that at that time she was no longer enjoying figure skating. A part of Liu’s journey to focus more on her personal life, and she did things like enrolling at UCLA in 2023 and climbing to the base camp of Mount Everest.
Just over two years after retiring, Liu returned to the ice in March of 2024. Liu says that a skiing trip inspired her to come back, and she decided she wanted to aim for the 2026 Olympics. Liu’s journey coming back to the ice was not easy, stating that her coaches, Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali, thought it was a “terrible idea.” Her return came with a bit of an ultimatum: She gets complete control. In an interview with 60 Minutes, Liu made this quite clear. She chooses her music, costumes, time on the ice, and no one will tell her what she can and can’t eat.
Liu’s return to skating was explosive. In her 2024-2025 season, Liu was a Grand Prix Final Champion and placed first in the 2025 Figure Skating World Championship, marking the first American victory in the event since 2006. After regaining her jumps and rebuilding her programs and her 2025 World Championship title, Liu was named to the U.S. Olympic team at the 2026 Figure Skating World Championship in early 2026.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Liu competed three times. Her first performance was on February 6th, and she competed in the women’s short program where she skated to Laufey’s “Promise.” This performance landed her 2nd place and a score of 74.90. It also contributed to team U.S.A. winning a gold medal in the team event, which was Liu’s first gold medal from the Olympics. February 17th is when the women’s singles event began, where she performed two times. Her first short program put her in 3rd place, earning 76.59 points, but her next skate helped her take home the gold. On February 19th, Liu showcased her final competition performance to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park,” which had the audience roaring. Liu’s free skates stood out not because she was focused on having the best technique or most impressive jumps, but because of her artistry. Liu shares her mindset about competing, saying “I don’t care about competition results. I skate now to show my art,” which perfectly encapsulates her performances. Liu’s imaginative performances were packed full of clean and stable triple jumps rather than quads or triple axels. This free skate won Liu her second Olympic gold medal and earned her 150.20 points, qualifying for the gold medal with a combined score of 226.79. Other than securing a gold medal, Liu also secured the first U.S. women’s individual Olympic gold in 24 years, which was won by Sarah Hughes in 2002.
Apart from competing for a gold medal, Liu performed at the Olympic Exhibition Gala, where she skated to “Stateside” remix by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson. Fresh off winning two gold medals, Liu used this performance to not only showcase her talent but also her bubbly personality. She wore a short, sparkly blue dress that had a poofy skirt, which was accompanied by her signature halo hairstyle that has become quite popular on the internet. Her performance went viral on a plethora of platforms, causing the song to surge to #1 on Spotify’s Global Daily Chart.
It’s no secret that Alysa Liu is a powerhouse figure skater and has a prosperous career ahead of her. Currently, Liu was set to continue to grace the ice with her effervescent presence at the World Championships but decided to take a break after the post-Olympic whirlwind. Liu hopes to continue to spread awareness for mental health in sports and hopes that her story inspires others to spend more time with themselves and try new things.
