If there’s one word to describe Alysa Liu’s figure skating at the Winter Olympics, it would be blissful. No pressure, no worries, just the sound of the ice against her skates as she looks as if she were on cloud nine.
Before the 2026 Winter Olympics, Alysa Liu was unknown to the world outside of figure skating. However, the figure skater began making waves during the Olympics after her outstanding performance in the team figure skating event. Not only her performance, but also her personal style caught the attention of many online with her halo hairstyle and smiley piercing.
But besides her unique style and graceful performance on the ice, what’s really interesting about the ice princess is her journey with figure skating.
Who is Alysa Liu?
Alysa was born in Clovis, California, on August 28, 2005. She was raised in Richmond, California, along with her four younger siblings. Alysa was an energetic child, so her father decided to put her in figure skating to burn off the extra energy.
At five years old, Alysa officially stepped onto the ice at Oakland Ice Center. Although skating was purely a recreational activity, coaches quickly noticed her talent, and she became involved in competitive ice skating. At ten, she started to attempt double axels, and at twelve, she was competing against older skaters and standing her ground.
Skating journey
Even from a young age, Alysa had always been skilled at her craft.
During the 2018 Asian Open, Alysa became the youngest woman ever and the third U.S. woman to land a triple Axel in an international competition at age 12. A year later, the skater became the youngest woman ever to win the U.S. women’s championship title at just 13 years old. Liu secured the gold with three triple Axels in her freeskate and two in her free skate, making her the first and youngest U.S. woman to do so. In an article with U.S. Figure Skating, Liu said, “I did want to win, but I really just wanted to do my best when I got here. I was just happy that I beat my personal record.”
At the 2019-20 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating, Liu became the first U.S. woman to land a quad jump, a quad Lutz, and a triple Axel in the same program in the competition. The skater claimed gold at the competition with a total of 208.10 points at only 14 years old.
At the 2020 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Liu won the U.S. title. At just 14 years old, she became the youngest skater to win back-to-back U.S. titles. Liu became the first woman to attempt a quad jump, a quad Lutz, at the competition. However, the jump was under-rotated. She mentioned how she was keeping pace with a wave of skaters doing quads and triple Axels, stating, “I am aware a lot of skaters are getting these difficult jumps, and I’m just trying to keep up, and keep up with the jumps.”
2022 Winter Olympics
In 2022, Alysa made her Olympic debut at the Winter Olympics in Beijing and was the youngest member on the figure skating team at only 16 years old. Liu finished seventh in the women’s figure skating singles event and placed the highest among the U.S. competitors.
After the Olympics, Liu competed at the 2022 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in France. The figure skater became the first U.S. woman to place on the world podium since 2016. She took home the bronze medal, falling behind Loena Hendrickx (217.70 points) and Kaori Sakamoto (236.09 points).
Retirement
After competing in the Winter Olympics and finishing out the remainder of the 2022 season, Liu decided to end her figure skating career and retired from the sport at 16.
The skater cited that she wanted a normal life and to be a regular teenager, apply to college, spend time with friends, get her driver’s license, etc.
However, she also became really unhappy with the sport. She described her training life as lonely and monotonous. After being told what to eat, wear, and skate to, she felt mentally exhausted and burned out due to the high pressures of the sport.
However, after a 2-year break, Liu decided to step back onto the ice after a ski trip reminded her of her love of skating. But Liu did not come back to skating without a few conditions; she decided to skate on her own terms. She set her own schedule for training, had full artistic control over skating, and established a healthier relationship with her body, stating that she would be starved or forced to monitor her weight.
With these conditions in place, Liu came back stronger than ever. In her debut appearance at the 2025 ISU Grand Prix, she secured the gold medal with a final score of 222.49 points. She also placed first at the 2025 Skate America competition and second at the Cup of China. At the 2026 U.S. Championships, Liu qualified for the 2020 Winter Olympics after placing second in the final, only a few points behind Amber Glenn.
2026 Winter Olympics
On the ice, Liu quickly captured the hearts of audiences across the globe with her sparkly golden dress, gold and brown halo hair, and joyful energy during the Olympics. In the short program, Liu skated to jazz singer Laufey’s “Promise,” completing one double and three triple jumps. She placed third overall; however, there was still one more event to possibly clinch gold.
Liu performed a free skate to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park Suite.” Her joy could be felt across the arena as she smiled through several triples and doubles. She received a 150.20 for her performance, the highest score of the night.
Her routine secured her the gold for the women’s single program. She became the first American woman to win an individual figure skating Olympic gold medal in 24 years. Additionally, she helped Team USA to win gold in the team event.
2 years after her comeback, Liu not only made a dramatic comeback but also got to come home with not one but two Olympic gold medals.
Sports and mental health
Although I was not a figure skater, I was in a sport that was as physically and mentally demanding as it was: gymnastics. Both sports are highly rigid in their technicality and performances. Although there are some differences between the two, it is common for athletes in both to form an obsession or addiction to perfection.
While striving for perfection is important for achieving certain goals and scores, it quickly becomes mentally harmful for the athlete themselves. The athlete might start off loving the sport; however, this thought quickly begins to spiral or become warped as they start doing it for other reasons, mainly obligation. This can manifest in obligations to coaches or parents. This mentality of thinking becomes harmful and often turns into a fear of identity crisis.
As talented athletes start to gain recognition, their identity quickly becomes lost as people begin to label them as “potential.” Performance no longer becomes a want but a “need” and a “have to” to fulfill the expectations of others. By trying to fulfill these expectations, the sport no longer becomes the athletes ‘, and they lose the autonomy they once had when doing the sport solely for the love of it. They become absorbed into this rigorous space and quickly form their identity around the sport.
With this, the athlete endures many breakdowns, burnouts, and mentally exhausting moments that make them want to stop. However, it becomes difficult to know when to quit as their identity has been fully absorbed into the sport, especially if they have been doing it for a long time. After doing a sport for most of your life, it becomes difficult to go to a “normal” life without the pressures.
Final thoughts
Seeing Alysa come back to skating on her own terms, after exploring her identity after the sport, puts into perspective how important it is for athletes to take care of their mental health. By stepping away from harmful environments and setting boundaries for oneself, one can come back stronger than ever, as Alysa has demonstrated.
It’s so refreshing to see an athlete take charge of their sports and personal life and perform without fear of perfection and obsession. To see an athlete fully enjoy and embrace themselves in their performance is truly heartwarming to see.
