By Rylen McGuire, Contributing Writer
Figure skating is one of the most viewed sports in the Winter Olympics and a beautiful expression of art and athleticism, captivating millions across the globe. Despite its graceful and good-natured appearance, figure skating is one of the most difficult and high-stakes sports in the Olympics. In the 2022 games, Alysa Liu placed sixth in women’s singles figure skating, later winning bronze at the World Figure Skating Championships.
Liu later announced her retirement on her Instagram page due to burnout and satisfaction with her current place in her career. She told NBC Sports that she no longer enjoyed skating, saying, “I was so into skating that I really didn’t do much else.”
During her retirement, she spent much of her time with family and friends, focusing on her health and happiness. However, in March of 2024, she announced her return to training and desire to continue competing.
Now, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, she’s taking home two gold medals, winning the women’s singles title and securing gold for the United States. This made Liu the first American woman to win the women’s singles since Sarah Hughes in 2002, ending a 24-year drought.
This season, she’s committed herself to doing things her own way. She’s chosen to skate for herself and her happiness, not letting competitions stress her out and focusing instead on the excitement of showing her art off to the world. She focuses on joy rather than perfection, and it shows in her attitude both on and off the ice.
“These titles are huge, but I don’t want them to overshadow who I am, and what I do, and what I am all about,” Liu tells NBC Olympics. “Winning isn’t all that, and neither is losing.”
This mindset of performing her art for herself is sparking a change in the conservatism of figure skating. While her appearance plays a part, sporting dyed hair and piercings, she also shows her defiance in other ways. Liu came back to skating completely on her own terms by choosing her own music, outfits, training, and diet.
Previously, her training for the 2022 Winter Olympics was very intense; Liu’s father, Arthur Liu, changed her coaches and location, wanting his daughter to receive more intense training to better prepare for the competition. Not much is known about her previous diet, but she has stated she refuses to let anyone tell her what to eat and even celebrated her Olympic win with a lava cake.
Liu’s music choice for her routines also strays from the traditional royalty-free instrumental music, skating to popular modern artists such as Laufey and PinkPantheress in her recent programs. Instead of following the rigid and stressful routines of many other skaters, she refuses the toxicity in skater culture and chooses sportsmanship by celebrating her teammates and even competitors.
Liu is also in a friend group with fellow skating teammates Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito, fittingly named the Blade Angels. The trio is inseparable, which is unusual in such an individual sport. While there is a competitive element to their friendship, they are very close off the ice and celebrate each other’s wins loudly. They’re making history by being the first three women to all end up on the podium and while being such close friends.
Along with this, Liu continuously uses her platform to support the topic of mental health alongside Glenn. She emphasizes that taking time for yourself and prioritizing health over medals is important for athletes and even for people stuck in a loop of burnout. It isn’t confirmed if she is involved with any charities or brands that advocate for mental health, but she has shared her love for the makeup brand Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez. Rare Beauty has mental health advocacy as one of its core pillars, donating 1% of sales to accessible mental health resources for youth, which has raised over 20 million dollars.
“I hope that, you know, with all this attention, I can at least raise awareness about, like, mental health in sports and mental health in general. And I think my story is pretty cool, and so I hope that inspires some people as well,” Liu tells Associated Press.
Liu is also a huge advocate for creativity and individualism, stating that, “People deserve the space to express themselves, and I’m glad that people are looking to me as inspiration to do that.”
Alysa Liu is a truly inspiring athlete and person, and she’s changing the figure skating world, slowly but surely. By choosing herself and her health over winning, being such a bright and joyous athlete, and using her platform to spread awareness for things that are usually kept under wraps in the athletic world, she’s acquired many new fans on and off the ice. Liu plans to continue her skating career, telling NBC’s Andrea Joyce that she has no plans to leave and can’t imagine not skating next year. She said she loves being an athlete, and everyone around the world is excited to see what else she has in store.
