Alysa Liu is an American figure skater who made history at age 20 by winning Olympic gold at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan. Her victory marked the first individual figure skating gold medal for an American woman in 24 years, completing one of the most remarkable comeback stories in the sport.
Born on August 8, 2005, in Clovis, California, she became the youngest U.S. women’s national champion at age 13, retired at 16, and then returned to win the 2025 World Championship before capturing Olympic glory. Her journey reflects talent, determination, and the courage to redefine success on her own terms.
Early Years in California
Alysa grew up in the Bay Area of California, primarily in Richmond and Oakland, as the oldest of five children. Her father, Arthur Liu, is an attorney who fled China as a political refugee after participating in pro-democracy demonstrations during the 1989 Tiananmen Square era.
Her family structure was unique from the beginning. All five children, including Alysa, were born through anonymous egg donors and surrogate mothers. According to mens journal, Arthur chose this path because he wanted children and was already 40 years old when he made the decision.
Alysa has four younger siblings: Selina, and triplets Julia, Joshua, and Justin. The triplets share the same surrogate mother as Alysa. Growing up, all five children shared one room with three bunk beds, creating a close family environment despite unconventional circumstances.
Arthur’s mother, Shu, moved from China to help raise the children when they were young. Alysa was also raised alongside Yan Qingxin, known as Mary, who was married to Arthur and served as the children’s legal guardian. Though Arthur and Mary eventually divorced, she remained an important part of their lives.
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Discovering Figure Skating
At age five, Arthur brought Alysa to the Oakland Ice Center. As a fan of legendary skaters Michelle Kwan and Kristi Yamaguchi, he thought his daughter might enjoy the sport. She took to it immediately, showing natural coordination and fearlessness.
She began with group lessons under coach Laura Lipetsky, a former competitive skater who had trained with Frank Carroll. Lipetsky quickly moved Alysa to private sessions, recognizing exceptional talent that needed individual attention.
The family lived modestly in a one-bedroom apartment during her early skating years. Arthur devoted significant resources to supporting her training, eventually spending an estimated $500,000 to $1 million on her skating career according to interviews he gave to CBS News.
His involvement was intense. He attended practices regularly, once bringing a radar gun to measure the speed of her jumps. While he described his parenting style as “laissez-faire,” Alysa later acknowledged that skating felt like “his business” rather than her own during those years.
Breaking Records as a Young Teenager
By age 12, Alysa became the youngest woman ever to land a triple Axel in international competition at the 2018 Asian Open. The triple Axel is one of figure skating’s most difficult jumps, requiring three and a half rotations in the air.
In 2019, at just 13 years old, she won the U.S. National Championship, becoming the youngest woman ever to claim that title. She broke a record previously held by Tara Lipinski, who had been 15 when she won in 1997.
The following year, she defended her national title at age 14, becoming the youngest skater to win two consecutive U.S. championships. During this period, she also became the first American woman to land a quadruple jump in international competition—a quad Lutz at the 2019 Junior Grand Prix.
She made history again by becoming the first woman anywhere to land both a quadruple jump and a triple Axel in the same program. These technical achievements placed her among the sport’s most elite jumpers globally.
In 2019, Time magazine named her to their inaugural Time 100 Next list, recognizing rising stars across various fields. The recognition reflected not just her athletic achievements but her impact on American figure skating.
Olympic Debut and Sudden Retirement
Alysa competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing at age 16. She finished sixth in the women’s singles event, the highest placement among American women. Shortly after, she won bronze at the 2022 World Championships, becoming the first American woman to medal at Worlds since 2016.
Two weeks later, in April 2022, she announced her retirement. The decision shocked the figure skating world, as she was at the peak of her technical abilities with many competitive years potentially ahead.
Her reasons were deeply personal. The COVID-19 pandemic had forced her local rink to close, giving her the first extended break from skating since she was five years old. During that time, she realized how much of normal teenage life she had missed.
“I started when I was 5 and I basically didn’t stop until 16, and I was homeschooled my whole life,” she explained to NBC News. “I’m a very social person. My worry was that I’ll have never lived with my family. I knew that if I continued skating, I would never have a chance at home.”
She wanted to experience college, spend time with her siblings, travel with friends, and discover who she was outside of figure skating. The decision was hers alone—she didn’t consult her father before announcing it.
Life Away From Skating
During her two-year break, Alysa enrolled at UCLA where she balanced academics with experiencing campus life. She traveled extensively, including trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal, reaching over 17,000 feet above sea level.
She spent time with friends, went on road trips, and lived without structured training schedules for the first time in her life. Skating, she later said, was the last thing on her mind. She needed the distance to understand whether she genuinely wanted to return.
This period allowed her to develop interests beyond skating. She explored photography, developed her personal style, and engaged with fashion and music in ways she hadn’t had time for during her competitive years.
Gradually, she began skating casually for enjoyment without competitive pressure. These sessions rekindled something she had lost—genuine love for the sport divorced from expectations and results.
The Comeback Journey
In March 2024, Alysa quietly announced her return to competitive skating. The decision came with strict conditions: she would have full creative control over her programs, from music selection to costume design to choreography.
She reunited with longtime coaches Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali, but the dynamic had changed. “Before her self-imposed retirement, she really just did everything people told her to do,” DiGuglielmo told Elle magazine. “She never questioned it.” Now she was in charge.
At the 2025 U.S. Championships in Wichita, she finished second, just 1.46 points behind gold. Her emotional short program to “Promise” received a standing ovation from the crowd who welcomed her back.
In March 2025, she won the World Championship in Boston, becoming the first American woman to win that title in 19 years since Kimmie Meissner in 2006. She defeated reigning three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, proving her comeback was genuine.
Olympic Gold in Milan
At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Alysa first competed in the team event where she helped the United States win gold. She placed second in the short program behind Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, and her performance contributed to Team USA’s first-place finish.
In the individual event, she entered the free skate in third place after the short program. Skating to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park,” she delivered a career-best performance wearing an asymmetrical gold sequined dress with platinum blonde stripes in her dark hair.
She scored 150.20 in the free skate and 226.79 overall, surging past both Japanese skaters to claim gold. As she finished, she skated off the ice and shouted into the television camera, “That’s what I’m f—ing talking about!”
The victory made her the first American woman to win individual Olympic figure skating gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002. It completed a redemption arc that few athletes ever achieve—retiring at the peak, finding herself, and returning stronger.
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Personal Style and Self-Expression
One aspect of Alysa’s personality that gained significant attention during the 2026 Olympics was her unique personal style. Fans noticed a flash of silver whenever she smiled, sparking widespread curiosity about what was on her teeth.
According to yahoo sports, the silver detail is a frenulum piercing, commonly called a “smiley piercing.” This type of piercing goes through the thin tissue connecting the upper lip to the gums and is only visible when smiling.
What made the story more interesting was that Alysa did the piercing herself over two years ago. “I had my sister hold up my lip, and I was looking in the mirror, and I had my piercing needle, and yeah, just put it through,” she told TMJ4 News.
She explained her decision practically: “Getting pierced at a shop is really expensive for no reason. So I thought I would learn it myself, be a little DIY girl.” She emphasized that she used proper piercing needles, not safety pins or piercing guns, and considers self-piercing “another hobby.”
Her hair is equally distinctive. She adds a new platinum blonde stripe to her naturally dark hair every year, calling them “angel halos.” Each ring represents a year of personal and professional growth. She started the tradition in 2023 and plans to continue adding one each December.
Unlike her piercing, she doesn’t do her own hair coloring. During the 2025 season, stylist Kelsey Miller in St. Louis created her signature striped look. Miller told local media she was shocked when she learned the client was Alysa Liu.
These style choices reflect her broader approach to self-expression. “This sport, it’s also artistic,” she told NBC Olympics. “You get to pick music, design dresses, do choreography and dance.” Her look has become part of her brand—confident, unconventional, and authentic.
Family Dynamics and Support System
Arthur Liu remains central to Alysa’s story, though their relationship has evolved. As a political refugee who fled China, he brought an immigrant’s intensity to supporting his daughter’s dreams. He spared no expense and devoted enormous time to her training.
However, during the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Arthur could not travel with Alysa due to concerns about his safety as a known pro-democracy activist. In November 2021, just before the Olympics, federal prosecutors revealed that Chinese government agents had targeted Arthur and Alysa in a spying operation.
According to reports, individuals posing as U.S. Olympic Committee officials requested copies of their passports. Arthur told authorities the operation was designed to “intimidate” and “silence” him from speaking about human rights violations in China. He expressed concerns for Alysa’s safety but allowed her to compete after receiving assurances from the U.S. State Department.
Despite his deep involvement in her early career, Alysa made clear when she returned to skating that their dynamic had changed. “He’s a great father, you know?” she told CBS News. “I just didn’t want him to be as invested in it as he was before.”
She didn’t consult him when she decided to retire in 2022, telling the San Francisco Chronicle, “I didn’t really ask [my dad’s] opinion when I decided to retire. After all, it’s my life. But he supports my decision.”
Arthur was present in Boston when she won the 2025 World Championship and in Milan when she captured Olympic gold. He remains her supporter, but on terms that respect her independence and agency.
Her siblings also played an important role in her comeback decision. Missing time with them was a primary reason she retired. During the 2026 Olympics, her brothers and sisters watched her compete live for the first time, making the experience especially meaningful.
Education and Life Balance
Alysa attended Oakland School for the Arts during her childhood before switching to homeschooling to accommodate her training schedule. She completed her high school education through California Connections Academy, an online program.
After the 2022 Olympics, she enrolled at UCLA where she studied while deciding whether to return to skating. She has spoken about valuing education and wanting options beyond competitive sports.
Balancing elite athletics with university coursework requires significant discipline. During her comeback season, she managed training in Oakland while maintaining her student status, demonstrating commitment to both pursuits.
Her education has provided perspective that many young athletes lack. Having academic interests and social connections outside skating helped her make the difficult decision to step away when she needed space.
Net Worth and Financial Considerations
Alysa Liu’s net worth is estimated between $400,000 and $500,000 as of 2026, according to celebritynetworth.com. These figures represent estimates based on publicly available information about competition earnings, sponsorships, and appearance fees.
Her primary income during her career has come from competition prize money. Major events like the World Championships offer substantial payouts for medalists, with gold medals earning up to $65,000 according to International Skating Union structures.
She has secured several sponsorship deals throughout her career. In December 2020, Team Toyota announced her as a sponsored athlete. Before the 2022 Olympics, she signed with American Girl toy company. Heading into the 2026 Olympics, she partnered with Nike and Samsung Galaxy, and appeared in a Gillette Venus commercial.
She is represented by IMG through agent Yuki Saegusa, helping manage her commercial opportunities and public appearances. She appeared on the cover of International Figure Skating Magazine in December 2019, increasing her profile beyond competition results.
She has also earned income from ice shows. She performed in Sun Valley on Ice summer shows in 2019 and 2021. After her initial retirement, she toured with Stars on Ice in spring 2022, and rejoined the tour for its May 2025 U.S. leg.
Her father’s investment of $500,000 to $1 million in her training represents the reality of elite figure skating costs. These expenses include coaching fees, choreography, costumes, ice time, travel to competitions, and equipment. Most families cannot sustain these costs without external support or sponsorships.
While her net worth is modest compared to athletes in mainstream professional sports, it reflects the financial realities of figure skating where earning potential is limited primarily to Olympic years and major championship cycles.
Physical Characteristics and Athletic Build
Alysa stands approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall with an athletic build suited for figure skating. Her lean physique provides the power-to-weight ratio necessary for executing difficult jumps while maintaining the flexibility required for spins and artistic elements.
Her skating style combines explosive power on jumps with graceful presentation during transitions. She is known for generating significant height on her triple Axel and quadruple Lutz, technical elements that require both strength and precise timing.
Maintaining peak physical condition requires year-round training including on-ice sessions, off-ice conditioning, strength training, and flexibility work. During her competitive years, she trained multiple hours daily to maintain the muscle memory and cardiovascular endurance elite skating demands.
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