Alysa Liu: From Clovis to Olympic Gold

When Alysa Liu stepped off the Olympic podium in February 2026, gold medal draped around her neck, it wasn’t the first time she had made headlines as a history maker. Alysa Liu was born in 2005 in Clovis, California, a city in the Central Valley known more for agriculture than for churning out world-class athletes. Her family relocated to Oakland, where she would train and call home for much of her competitive life. Her father, Arthur Liu, came to the United States from China in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square crackdown, arriving in Oakland at age 25 and initially working as a busboy. Alysa is the oldest of five siblings, including a sister named Selina and triplets Julia, Justin, and Jaylin, all born via surrogacy with Alysa sharing the same birth mother as the triplets. This unique family structure played a crucial role in creating the support system that enabled her to pursue elite figure skating from a young age.

Arthur Liu, a former Chinese dissident, later earned an MBA from California State University, East Bay, and a JD from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, before becoming an attorney. His personal history of political exile and resettlement shaped the family’s values, emphasizing discipline, opportunity, and resilience. To help raise the children, Arthur’s mother moved from China, and after Arthur’s divorce from Yan Qingxin “Mary,” she remained the children’s legal guardian. Alysa met her birth mother as a teenager, which added another dimension to her understanding of her own background.

Alysa Liu started skating at age 5 when her father, inspired by Michelle Kwan, took her to the Oakland Ice Center. Her first coach was Laura Lipetsky, who herself had trained under renowned coach Frank Carroll. Lipetsky began teaching Alysa when the future champion was just five and a half years old. Arthur Liu’s approach to parenting was described as intense and highly involved, with a focus on maximizing his daughter’s potential through early exposure, deliberate practice, and a tightly structured support system. Alysa’s schedule as a child included not just skating but also three years of Chinese school before transferring to the Oakland School for the Arts, which offered a figure skating program.

By age 7, Alysa was already competing at the national level, a result of her rapid technical progress and her family’s commitment to her training. Competition and travel demands soon became so intense that she switched to California Connections Academy and began homeschooling in her father’s law office between practices. Alysa graduated from high school in June 2021 at age 15, two years before enrolling at UCLA in the fall of 2023 to study psychology.

Alysa’s formative years were shaped by both structured coaching and diverse mentorships. Laura Lipetsky remained her primary coach through her juvenile and early junior years. Alysa later worked with Italian choreographer Massimo Scali, who brought a dance and artistry focus that deepened her performance quality. As a juvenile competitor, Alysa placed seventh at the Central Pacific Regionals in 2015 and, at age 10, became the youngest female skater to win the intermediate gold medal at the 2016 U.S. Championships. Her technical skills stood out early, with programs featuring complex jump combinations and triple jumps completed with a degree of difficulty rare for her age.

Alysa placed fourth in novice competition at the 2017 U.S. Championships, leading after the short program but falling to fourth after the long, where her program component scores lagged behind her peers despite strong triple-triple combinations. In the 2017–18 season, Alysa made her junior debut by winning a silver at the 2017 Asian Open Trophy, and she became the youngest skater to compete in the junior division at the 2018 U.S. Championships in San Jose. Even when ill with a cold and sore throat, she posted a season’s best in the short program and won overall with a 184.16, the second-highest junior score ever recorded at the time.

At age 12, Alysa was not yet eligible for the World Junior Championships, so she competed at the International Challenge Cup, winning advanced novice silver behind Japan’s Hana Yoshida. In August 2018, she won gold at the Asian Open Trophy in Bangkok as a novice, outscoring the silver medalist by more than ten points. At that competition, she landed a ratified triple Axel, becoming the youngest skater to do so cleanly in history and just the fourth American woman ever to achieve that jump, following Tonya Harding, Kimmie Meissner, and Mirai Nagasu.

Alysa’s rise continued into the 2018–19 season. At age 13, she qualified to compete at the senior level at the 2019 U.S. Championships in Detroit. On January 25, 2019, she broke Tara Lipinski’s record to become the youngest U.S. women’s national champion in history. She placed second to Bradie Tennell in the short program but won the free skate with two triple Axels, including one in combination, and a total score of 217.51. She was also the first female skater to land three triple Axels in U.S. competition and the first to do so in a short program at Nationals.

Because she was too young to compete at the Junior or Senior World Championships, Alysa’s 2019 season ended with U.S. Nationals, allowing her to work on choreography with Italian skater Carolina Kostner and choreography with Massimo Scali. In January 2020, at age 14, Alysa returned to defend her national title in Greensboro, North Carolina. She placed second in the short program after a shaky triple Axel attempt but rebounded to win the free skate by over eight points and earned a career-best total of 235.52. She was now the youngest two-time U.S. women’s national champion and the first to win back-to-back titles since Ashley Wagner in 2012 and 2013.

Internationally, Alysa made her mark at the 2019–20 ISU Junior Grand Prix in Lake Placid, where she won with a 21.52-point margin over South Korea’s Park Yeon-jeong. She became the first American female skater to land a quadruple Lutz in any competition and the first to land a quad and a triple Axel in the same program. At her second Junior Grand Prix event in Poland, she came from fourth after the short to win, making history again with the first triple Axel–triple toe loop combination in Junior Grand Prix history. She went on to win silver at the Junior Grand Prix Final behind Kamila Valieva of Russia and bronze at the World Junior Championships, finishing behind Valieva and Daria Usacheva after a strong technical performance marred by some underrotations.

Transitioning to the senior international scene was challenging due to age restrictions and the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cancellation of the 2020–21 Junior Grand Prix meant she missed out on key competitions. Alysa grew from 4'7" to 5'0" in 2020, a growth spurt that affected her jumps and consistency. At the 2021 U.S. Championships in Las Vegas, she placed second in the short program and finished fourth overall, the lowest placement of her career to that point. Alysa used this period to work with new coaches, including Jeremy Abbott and, subsequently, Italian technical specialist Lorenzo Magri.

In August 2021, Alysa made her senior international debut at the Cranberry Cup in Massachusetts, winning the event with a total score of 205.74 despite a fall on the triple Axel. She then won gold at the CS Lombardia Trophy by over 32 points, landing a triple Axel and securing new personal bests. In September 2021, she was selected for the CS Nebelhorn Trophy, where she placed first in both segments and secured an Olympic berth for Team USA. Alysa was the overall women's winner of the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series.

At the 2022 U.S. Championships, Alysa placed third in the short program but had to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. She was still named to the Beijing Olympic team, joining Mariah Bell and Karen Chen as the U.S. representatives. Alysa became the youngest athlete on the American Olympic team that year and was considered a recruitment prospect for the Chinese “naturalization project,” which aimed to bring overseas athletes to compete for China at the Beijing Games. Her father declined the offer, citing human rights concerns.

In the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Alysa placed eighth in the short program after receiving an edge call and underrotating her jump combination. She advanced to seventh in the free skate, again underrotating her triple Axel, but skated two clean programs overall. She later performed in the exhibition gala using a program choreographed on-site by American ice dancer Jean-Luc Baker.

At the 2022 World Championships in Montpellier, Alysa placed fifth in the short program and moved up to third after the free skate, landing a triple Axel with an underrotation. She became the first American woman to medal at Worlds since Ashley Wagner in 2016.

On April 9, 2022, Alysa announced her retirement from competition, explaining that she felt fulfilled in her career. She cited the all-consuming nature of high-level skating and the desire to explore life beyond the rink. Former coach Phillip DiGuglielmo noted that Alysa had always aimed to reach the Olympics and fulfill expectations before moving on. At the time, her early retirement marked her as the first U.S. women's singles skater not to bid for a second Olympics since 2002 gold medalist Sarah Hughes.

In her retirement, Alysa pivoted to show skating, joining the national Stars on Ice tour in spring 2022. She performed in both the Sun Valley on Ice summer shows in 2019 and 2021. Her post-competitive life included sponsorship deals with Team Toyota, American Girl, and later, Nike and Samsung Galaxy as she approached the 2026 Olympics.

Alysa also built a media and endorsement portfolio. She modeled Ralph Lauren’s opening ceremony uniform for Team USA, appeared in a Gillette Venus commercial, and became the face of a limited edition Lucky Charms cereal box. She appeared on the covers of International Figure Skating Magazine, Teen Vogue, Time, Sports Illustrated, and Elle. Her television appearances included The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2019 and again before the 2026 Olympics, as well as a feature on 60 Minutes.

After almost two years away, Alysa Liu announced her comeback for the 2024–25 season via Instagram on March 1, 2024. U.S. Figure Skating confirmed her return. Alysa cited the thrill of new experiences like skiing and the desire to return to skating on her own terms as her motivation. She resumed training with former coaches Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali, splitting her time between UCLA studies and training at Lakewood Ice, where she worked with Amy Evidente and Ivan Dinev.

Her first competition back was the 2024 CS Budapest Trophy, where she won gold despite under-rotating three jumps in the free skate. She then competed in the 2024 Skate Canada International, placing second in the short but seventh in the free skate due to underrotations, and finished sixth overall. At the 2024 NHK Trophy, she finished fourth, before winning gold at the 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb in December.

In January 2025, Alysa won the short program at the U.S. Championships with a 76.36, a personal best matching her 2021 score, but placed second overall behind Amber Glenn. At the Four Continents Championships in Seoul, she finished just 1.48 points behind bronze medalist Sarah Everhardt. Alysa then participated in the Legacy on Ice show, a tribute to those lost aboard American Eagle Flight 5342.

Alysa’s breakthrough comeback came at the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, where she won both the short and free programs to take the gold. She dethroned three-time defending champion Kaori Sakamoto, becoming the first American woman to win Worlds since Kimmie Meissner in 2006. Alysa also led Team USA to gold at the World Team Trophy in Tokyo, winning both the short and free segments of the women’s competition.

The 2025–26 season began with the CS Lombardia Trophy, where Alysa won the short but dropped to fourth overall due to a fifth-place free skate. She made history at the Cup of China by winning her first senior Grand Prix medal, taking silver behind Amber Glenn. At Skate America, Alysa won gold, overtaking Japan’s Rinka Watanabe with a first-place free skate. She debuted at the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, winning gold and confirming her elite status.

Heading into the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, Alysa partnered with Nike, Samsung Galaxy, and Sephora, and was named a House Ambassador for Louis Vuitton. She appeared at the 2026 Met Gala and the iHeartRadio Music Awards, where she presented Artist of the Year to Taylor Swift. Alysa also featured in Laufey’s “Madwoman” music video.

At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Alysa competed in the team event on February 6, scoring second behind Kaori Sakamoto in the short program. Team USA won gold, a result of Alysa’s and her teammates’ performances. In the women’s singles event, Alysa placed third in the short program behind Ami Nakai and Sakamoto, then delivered a near-flawless free skate to win gold, becoming the first American woman to medal in Olympic figure skating since Sasha Cohen in 2006 and the first to win gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002. She also became the first women’s singles skater to win two golds in a single Olympics, taking both the team and individual titles. Alysa debuted a new routine for the gala, skating to a PinkPantheress/Zara Larsson remix and earning praise from Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes.

Alysa withdrew from the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships in March to prioritize recovery and manage her post-Olympic commitments, with her alternate, Sarah Everhardt, taking her place.

Alysa Liu’s impact on American figure skating includes shattering age records, pushing technical boundaries with jumps like the triple Axel and quadruple Lutz, and breaking a Russian and Japanese stranglehold on global podiums. Alysa’s signature halo hairstyle became iconic, with each year’s band serving as a personal timeline, much like tree rings. She’s known for piercing her own smiley (lip frenulum) as a statement of individuality.

Alysa’s influence extends beyond sport: she has supported immigrant rights in the United States, reflecting her family’s experience. She’s also an avid fan of manga and anime, bringing this passion into her public persona and connecting with younger audiences.

Her legacy includes pioneering technical firsts—first American woman to land a quad, first junior woman to land a triple Axel internationally, and first to complete both a quad and triple Axel in a single program. She’s the first American woman to win both Olympic and World golds in two decades, and her comeback ranks among the most dramatic in sports history.

Alysa’s continued presence in show skating, her fashion and media partnerships, and her outspoken support for social causes have made her a multidimensional figure. Her decision to retire, pursue college, return, and then win Olympic gold is unprecedented in American figure skating. Her visibility at events like the Met Gala and collaborations with brands like Louis Vuitton, Nike, and Lucky Charms show her crossover appeal.

In April 2026, Alysa appeared in Laufey’s “Madwoman” music video, blending her skating artistry with pop culture. Shortly after, she announced her year-long partnership with Sephora and released a Nike collection featuring her silhouette in motion. Just weeks after Milano Cortina, she became the first American to win gold in women’s singles and team events in the same Olympics, a feat unmatched for over two decades.