Every so often, a few scrolls on Instagram will land you on a girl in a blue dress skating her heart out, her body swaying to the rhythmic beats of “Stateside” by Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress in the Olympic Exhibition Gala performance. With bleached halos in her hair, Alysa Liu quickly became the type of athlete social media loves. Representing the United States in the 2026 Winter Olympics, Liu secured gold medals in both the women’s singles figure skating event and the figure skating team event.
Liu was born on August 8, 2005, in Clovis, California, and grew up in Oakland. She started skating when she was at the age of five, and built her athletic career at a rapid, almost miraculous pace. In 2019, at the age of only thirteen, she became the youngest U.S. women’s national champion for figure skating, defeating adult competitors. A year later, she won the title again, becoming the youngest skater to take two consecutive senior national titles. If those achievements don’t speak loudly enough, she became the first American woman to complete a triple axel and a quadruple jump in the same program, and the first American woman to land a triple axel successfully in an international competition. This is part of the excitement about Alysa Liu: her technical precision, dedication to perfection, and, most importantly, the vibrance she brings to the landscape for elite athletes.
In contrast to the distant aura that some athletes wear standing at the zenith, Alysa Liu brings the most expressive and unique version of herself to every stage of her life. When skating, she is unmistakably herself, and she made sure to center her life around self-exploration and expression when she decided to step away in 2022. Things took an interesting yet unexpected turn when she retired as a teenager. NBC describes that period as a well-deserved, extensive break from a sport that has consumed her childhood. Putting away her skates and costumes, Alysa Liu spent time with friends, siblings, and experienced college life while traveling to places of her dreams. Later, she claimed that taking a rest was the best decision she could have made for herself, because it helped her rediscover the creativity, the love for music and choreography, and the relentless drive to shape her own distinct style and journey.
When Alysa Liu returned to the spotlight, she came back lighter, more driven, and a more complete version of herself. There was a different energy about her, one that made her performance shine more like a celebration rather than a burden and source of stress: instead of skating to win, which she accomplished regardless, Alysa Liu came back to skate out of genuine passion, having recovered joy in skating over the past few years. The renewed sense of self carried her to a new height. Quickly rising to the podium upon return, her victories and medals consolidated the brilliance that never disappeared.
The most compelling aspect of her recent achievements is the spirit in which she strived for them, as opposed to just her technical perfection. While most athletes may be remembered for what they won, Alysa Liu is memorable for how she won: with individuality, grace, and a smile she could never suppress.
In a sport often categorized by pressure, perfection, and pain, she radiated something refreshingly human: delight. Alysa Liu’s story is not simply about gold medals, triple axels, and newspaper headlines. It is about self-exploration and having the courage to step away, and return stronger not just athletically but as a person who has rediscovered a purpose in pursuing a balanced life. Looking at ease under the lights, Alysa Liu is, in every sense, an angel on ice.
Photo courtesy of In the Loop Podcast
