Inside Alysa Liu’s Joyful Journey to Skating Gold, from Surprise Retirement to Olympic Champion: ‘It Just Comes Naturally’

Johnny DoddFri, February 27, 2026 at 4:02 PM UTC

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Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu celebrates her victory on Feb. 19 at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.Credit: Tang Xinyu/VCG/Getty Images; Paul Kitagaki Jr/ZUMA//Shutterstock -

Alysa Liu won gold in the women's skating final at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 19 in Milan

That historic victory comes after the 20-year-old Liu retired at 16 due to burnout, only to return to the sport at 18 to pursue skating on her own terms

Now, she says, “I really don't want my life to change that much. I really like my life, and I'm trying to keep as chill and normal as possible”

For someone who retired from competitive figure skating at just 16 after losing her “joy” and “passion,” 20-year-old Alysa Liu appeared to be overflowing with both as she glided through the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 19.

Not long afterward a throng of reporters listened as one of the breakout stars of the 2026 Winter Olympics — with energy matched by an effervescent personal style, including a “smiley” piercing over her front teeth and two-tone blonde-brunette hair — talked about the biggest victory of her career.

“I don’t need this,” said Liu, looking down at the gold medal dangling from her neck. “What I needed was the stage, and I got that, so I was all good no matter what happened.”

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Alysa Liu during free skating performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 19.Credit: Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty

Nobody who watched Liu’s performance to Donna Summer’s disco staple “MacArthur Park” — which brought the crowd to its feet with each triple jump, each hand flick, each knee slide and hair toss, all accompanied by a beaming grin — would disagree.

Liu became the first American woman since 2002 to win gold in figure skating and managed to do it on her own terms after a two-year break from a sport infamous for its body-breaking pressure on young men and women.

“She’s just doing it for the love of it,” says Brian Boitano, the 1988 men’s Olympic champion, describing Liu’s infectious approach to competition. “I think everybody else sort of feeds off that.”

Alysa Liu's father (center) with her four siblings at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 19.Credit: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

The oldest of five kids, all born via surrogacy, Liu was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area by single father Arthur Liu, who fled to the U.S. from China after participating in 1989’s pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests and became an immigration lawyer.

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“When we were little, we would all sleep in the same room,” Liu said in December of her siblings. “We would stay up late, crawling around the bunk beds. I kind of miss it.”

Introduced to skating at the age of 5 by Arthur — who was a fan of Michelle Kwan and Kristi Yamaguchi — Liu was eventually practicing many hours a day and traveling the globe while winning an array of championships, including a national gold at 13.

But after placing sixth in the 2022 Winter Games, Liu was burned-out and, without informing her dad, announced she was hanging up her skates.

Alysa Liu (left) celebrates with Ami Nakai, the Japanese figure skater who won the women's skating bronze on Feb. 19.Credit: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty

She returned in 2024 after realizing she missed the “rush” of competing. Only this time around Liu decided that she’d have final say over how she did it. (Her dad has also since said he's trying to be less heavy-handed with her.)

“I actually really enjoy the sport,” Liu — who in March 2025 became the first American woman to win the world figure skating championships in two decades — tells PEOPLE. “It just comes naturally. It’s really fun, spinning and gliding on the ice.”

With the Olympics behind her, figure skating’s new golden girl, who is currently studying psychology at UCLA, is “excited” to put all the hoopla over her victory behind her and get back doing what she does best.

“I really don't want my life to change that much,” she said in Italy. “I really like my life and I'm trying to keep as chill and normal as possible. I just want to go back home, unpack, unwind and get back to the rink.”

• Reporting by RACHEL DeSANTIS, NATASHA DYE and JULIE MAZZIOTTA

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Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”