American figure skater Alysa Liu has captured the attention of the world, not just for her incredible achievements on ice, but for the way she’s chosen to approach her career.

After helping the U.S. win a team gold medal, the country’s first in 24 years, Liu’s triumph came with an unexpected hiccup. As she celebrated the victory, her medal became detached from its ribbon.

She was not the only athlete to experience a broken medal; others, including American skier Breezy Johnson, reported similar mishaps. Liu says she was forced to return the defective medal so it could be replaced, though she admits she would have preferred to keep it, imperfections and all.

She went on to secure victory in the women’s individual event as well, marking America’s first title in over two decades.

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People are drawn to Liu not only for her talent but also for how she shows up: focused, joyful, and on her own terms - a model of poise and determination for young athletes everywhere.

In April 2022, at just 16, Liu surprised the figure skating world by announcing her retirement. Her journey hasn’t been the typical path of an Olympic gold medallist: after a historic start as a teenager, she stepped away from skating for two years before rediscovering her passion just in time to return to competition.

In a deleted Instagram post, she reflected: "I started skating when I was 5 so that’s about 11 years on the ice and it’s been an insane 11 years. I honestly never thought I would’ve accomplished as much as I did LMAOO I’m so happy. I feel so satisfied with how my skating career has gone.” She added: “I’m probably just gonna spend all my spare time with my family and friends; and I’m also going to study."

Liu's early career was record-breaking

Liu’s early career was nothing short of extraordinary. At the time, Liu had taken the skating world by storm, winning a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships in France; the first American woman to medal in six years.

At 13, she became the youngest athlete to become the U.S. women’s figure skating champion and was the first American woman to land a quadruple jump. She won another national championship title in 2020 and finished seventh at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Her talent, drive, and precision made her a standout figure, but the intense pressure of elite skating eventually led her to step away from the ice.

For two years, she dedicated time to exploring her life outside of skating by going on family holidays, travelling with friends and trying other sports and hobbies. It was only after a ski trip with friends, where she realised just how much she craved the adrenaline rush that ice could deliver, that she started skating again.

Eventually, she realised she wanted to compete, too. But she wanted to set the rules this time.

Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Liu spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein about her return. Liu loved life after skating, visiting Los Angeles cafés with friends who didn’t know how to pronounce Salchow, dabbling in volleyball and tennis, hiking to the base camp ofMount Everest.

But one day in early 2024, she went skiing with those friends and felt the first rush of adrenaline since putting away her skates. Then she took a trip to a rink. She tried a double Axel and landed it. Her brain started to whir.

She called her old coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo, to tell him she was ready to stage a comeback. “Why would you do this to yourself?” he scoffed. But after two hours of negotiation, and a bottle of California red for DiGuglielmo, he got on board.

When she returned to the ice, it was all on her terms

Since her return, Liu has focused on competing for herself, not for titles or medals. ‘I get to pick my own programme music, I get to help with the creative process of the programme, if I feel like I’m skating too much I’ll back down, if I feel like I’m not skating enough I’ll ramp it up and no one’s going to starve me or tell me what I can and can’t eat,’ she said in a 60 Minutes interview.

This approach translates into performances filled with energy and joy, making her routines captivating not just for skating fans, but for fellow celebrities too. During the Gala performance, she skated to Stateside by PinkPanthress featuring Zara Larsson, earning admiration and social media praise from the artists themselves.