Alysa Liu

Alysa Liu (born August 8, 2005) is an American figure skater and the 2026 Olympic champion in women’s singles, the first U.S. woman to claim that title in 24 years. She is also a double Olympic gold medalist from the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, having anchored Team USA to victory in the team event just days before winning the individual title. On the international side, she is the 2025 World champion, the 2025–26 Grand Prix Final champion, and the 2022 World bronze medalist, and domestically she is a two-time U.S. national champion (2019 and 2020). She skates out of the Oakland Ice Center area under coach Phillip DiGuglielmo, and she is currently enrolled at UCLA studying psychology. Calling her story improbable understates it. She is the rare elite athlete who quit the sport at 16, spent two years traveling and being a college student, and came back to beat the best skaters in the world on their best days.

Her career arc breaks into two distinct acts. The first act, the teen-prodigy years, peaked at the 2019 U.S. Championships, where Liu became the youngest women’s national champion in American history at age 13 and introduced a technical arsenal that included the triple Axel and, later, a quad Lutz. She defended the title in 2020, competed at the 2022 Beijing Olympics as the youngest skater on the U.S. team, finished sixth, and then took bronze at the 2022 World Championships in Montpellier. That should have been the start of a long senior career. Instead, Liu retired two weeks after Worlds. The second act began in March 2024, when she announced she was returning to competition with a new coaching setup, new program aesthetic, and, per her own description, complete creative control over music, costumes, and choreography. Eleven months later she was standing on top of the podium at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, and a year after that she was Olympic champion.

The through-line of Liu’s current moment is that the comeback has outgrown figure skating. Her Instagram following jumped from roughly 210,000 before the Milano Cortina Games to nearly 8 million by late March 2026, and she has since signed with Nike, Samsung Galaxy, Sephora, Gillette Venus, and Lucky Charms. She withdrew from the 2026 World Championships in Prague to manage the post-Olympic media rush, appeared in Laufey’s “Madwoman” music video, and received the key to the city of Oakland. The version of Liu the public is meeting now is a 20-year-old UCLA student who climbed to Everest Base Camp between Olympic cycles and skated her Olympic short program to a Laufey song she picked herself. That is not the script figure skating usually writes.

People also read: Ilia Malinin (World champion men’s singles skater known as the “Quad God”), Michelle Kwan (Five-time World champion and two-time Olympic medalist), Kaori Sakamoto (Three-time World champion from Japan and 2022 Olympic bronze medalist), Eileen Gu (Three-time Olympic medalist freestyle skier)

Quick Facts

Featured Video

Video courtesy of the International Skating Union’s official YouTube channel.

Early Life & Education

Alysa Liu was born in Clovis, California, and raised primarily in the East Bay in Oakland and Richmond. Her father, Arthur Liu, is an attorney who emigrated from the Sichuan province of China, and Alysa is the oldest of five siblings (her younger siblings are Selina, Julia, Jaylin, and Justin). She began skating at age five after her father, a Michelle Kwan fan, took her to the Oakland Ice Center. Her first coach was Laura Lipetsky, a former competitive skater who had trained under Frank Carroll, and group lessons quickly turned into private sessions once it was clear Liu had an unusual combination of jumping ability and fearlessness at an unusually young age.

The rise through the national development pipeline was fast and, in retrospect, maybe too fast. She won the intermediate title at the 2016 U.S. Championships at age 10. She took the junior title in 2018 at 12. She won her first senior U.S. title at 13 in 2019, breaking Tara Lipinski’s record as the youngest women’s national champion, and became the third woman to land a triple Axel at the U.S. Championships. Within a year she landed the first quad Lutz in American women’s skating history at the 2019 Junior Grand Prix in Lake Placid, and then completed a quad and triple Axel in the same program at that same competition, a combination no woman had performed before at that level. That body of firsts happened between ages 12 and 14.

Education was the thread she held onto when she walked away. After her April 2022 retirement, Liu enrolled at UCLA in fall 2023 to study psychology, a deliberate move into a life that looked almost nothing like the one she had been living since age five. She traveled. She climbed to Everest Base Camp with friends, which is where the decision to come back to skating reportedly first surfaced. She has said on repeated occasions that the time away reframed competition as something she wanted to do rather than something she was obligated to do. When she returned in 2024, she returned as a college student who still had four more years of figure skating left in her, not as a full-time athlete who also happened to take classes.

Career Highlights and Milestones

The first chapter of Liu’s career is a study in technical precocity. Between 2019 and 2022, she stacked up records that had stood for years. Two consecutive U.S. titles at 13 and 14. The first American woman to land a quad Lutz. The first woman to complete a quad and triple Axel in the same program. The first female skater to attempt a quad at the U.S. Championships. She was the youngest skater on the 2022 U.S. Olympic team at 16 and the top American finisher in Beijing, coming in sixth in the women’s event. She closed that season with a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships in Montpellier, France, the first U.S. medal of any color at Worlds in six years. She was a lock to be an Olympic medal contender in Milan. Then she retired.

The return, announced in March 2024, was handled differently from the first chapter. Liu reassembled a coaching team around Phillip DiGuglielmo (her pre-retirement coach), added Italian coach Lorenzo Magri, and re-engaged choreographer Massimo Scali. She also, per extensive reporting by The Athletic and NBC Sports, took direct creative ownership over her programs. Her coach DiGuglielmo told NBC News that Liu went through roughly 15 versions of the music for her U.S. Championship short program before settling on it. She chose “Promise” by Laufey for her short and a Donna Summer “MacArthur Park Suite” edit for her free skate, both selections that pushed her out of the usual classical-and-movie-score zone that dominates women’s singles. At the 2025 U.S. Championships in Wichita, she placed second behind Amber Glenn and received a standing ovation during her emotional short program. The result qualified her for the 2025 World Championships, where she was not considered a favorite.

She won. At the 2025 World Championships in Boston, Liu won both the short and free programs, defeated three-time defending champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, and became the first American woman to win the World title since Kimmie Meissner in 2006, a 19-year drought. Her coach told reporters afterward that Liu does not get nervous at competitions because competition is when people get to see her work. Whether that is actually a temperamental quirk or a narrative she has built for herself, it showed up at the biggest moments of her comeback: Worlds in Boston, the 2025–26 Grand Prix Final in Nagoya (gold, her debut at the event), and then the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

In Milano Cortina, Liu skated the short program in the team event and placed second behind Sakamoto, scoring enough to anchor Team USA to its first Olympic figure skating team gold medal. In the individual competition, she trailed Sakamoto after the short program but delivered a 150.20-point free skate, the highest segment score of the night, to win gold with 226.79 points. She became the first American woman to win Olympic singles gold since Sarah Hughes at Salt Lake 2002, ending a 24-year drought, and the first U.S. woman to win two figure skating golds at a single Olympics. She described the winning free skate to Olympics.com by saying she felt the crowd carry her. Her coach described the performance the same way several colleagues of his have described watching Liu at this moment in her career: as if something about her brain does not process pressure the way other elite athletes’ brains do.

Selected Career Highlights

• 2016 U.S. Championships intermediate title (age 10)
• 2018 U.S. Championships junior title (age 12)
• 2019 U.S. Championships senior title at 13, becoming the youngest women’s national champion in U.S. history
• 2019 Junior Grand Prix Lake Placid: first U.S. woman to land a quad Lutz in competition; first woman ever to land a quad and triple Axel in the same program
• 2020 U.S. Championships senior title (back-to-back), scoring a personal-best 235.52
• 2020 World Junior Championships bronze medal
• 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy and CS Nebelhorn Trophy senior international debut wins
• 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games: 6th place, top American finisher
• 2022 World Championships bronze medal (Montpellier, France)
• 2022 retirement from competitive skating at age 16
• 2024 return to competition announced; won 2024 CS Budapest Trophy and 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
• 2025 U.S. Championships silver medal (first season back)
• 2025 World Championships gold (Boston), first U.S. woman to win since 2006
• 2025–26 Grand Prix Final gold (Nagoya debut); 2025 Skate America gold; 2025 Cup of China silver
• 2026 Olympic Winter Games gold (Women’s Singles and Team Event)

Major Recognition

• 2026 Olympic champion, Women’s Singles and Team Event
• 2025 World champion (first U.S. woman since Kimmie Meissner in 2006)
• 2025–26 Grand Prix Final champion
• 2022 World Championships bronze medalist
• 2020 World Junior Championships bronze medalist
• 2× U.S. Senior National Champion (2019, 2020)
• Time 100 Next honoree (2019), Time 100 honoree (2026)
• Gold House A100 honoree (2020)
• Key to the city of Oakland (2026)

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Awards and Accolades

Career Stats & Records

SP = Short Program; FS = Free Skate. Asterisk (*) indicates personal-best U.S. qualifying score. International personal best: 226.79 at 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Scores sourced from U.S. Figure Skating and ISU; slight variations may appear across protocol reporting.

Major Competition History

Net Worth, Income, & Lifestyle

Social Media & Online Presence

Fan communities on social media (unofficial)

NOTE: In addition to any official accounts listed above, many fan-run pages, clip accounts, and statistical tracker accounts exist across all platforms. These are not confirmed to be affiliated with Alysa Liu. Links and usernames can change at any time. Always verify a social media handle through Liu’s verified accounts before following, subscribing, or purchasing through any source claiming affiliation.

Trivia & Lesser-Known Facts

• Liu was conceived via an anonymous egg donor and a surrogate, and the identity of her biological mother is not publicly known. She has spoken about this in interviews as part of her broader story about identity and family.
• She climbed to Mount Everest Base Camp (approximately 17,000 feet above sea level) with friends during her retirement years. A ski trip during that same window is what she has cited as the moment she realized she wanted to skate again.
• Her 2025–26 short program music is “Promise” by Icelandic-Chinese singer Laufey, a pick Liu made herself. In April 2026, Liu appeared in the music video for Laufey’s single “Madwoman.”
• Her coach Phillip DiGuglielmo has said Liu went through roughly 15 versions of her U.S. Championships music before settling on her final program.
• Her father, Arthur Liu, became a Michelle Kwan fan after immigrating from Sichuan, China. The Michelle Kwan fandom is what got him interested in ice skating, which is what took him and five-year-old Alysa to the Oakland Ice Center in the first place.
• At the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Liu presented the Artist of the Year award to Taylor Swift. She also modeled Ralph Lauren’s opening ceremony uniforms for Team USA at Beijing 2022.

Quotes

“It was just bliss. I was so happy to be there. I felt like I was floating, and I felt the crowd carried me. I did everything I wanted to do.”

– Alysa Liu, on winning Olympic gold, Olympics.com (February 2026)

“I don’t know if I really want to be a role model, I would say. But I guess I am. So if anything, I just urge people to spend time with themselves, try new things, different things, just to gain experience, and then decide for themselves what they want to do.”

– Alysa Liu, USA Today (February 2026)

“I honestly never thought I would’ve accomplished as much as I did. I’m so happy. I feel so satisfied with how my skating career has gone.”

– Alysa Liu, Instagram retirement announcement (April 2022)

“It was good for me to take time off from skating, and I am beyond excited to begin skating again with my newly found perspective.”

– Alysa Liu, Instagram return announcement (March 2024)

“I haven’t been on my phone yet, so I don’t know who has called to congratulate me. When I do have a minute, the first people I am going to call is my siblings because they have no idea that this is happening.”

– Alysa Liu, after winning 2025 World Championship gold, U.S. Figure Skating (March 2025)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Who is Alysa Liu?
A: Alysa Liu is an American figure skater, the 2026 Olympic champion in women’s singles and the team event, and the 2025 World champion. She is the first U.S. woman to win Olympic individual figure skating gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002.

Q: Why did Alysa Liu retire at 16?
A: Liu retired in April 2022, about two weeks after winning World Championship bronze in Montpellier, France. She said she felt satisfied with her career and wanted to move on with her life. She has since described feeling that competitive skating had become an obligation rather than a passion.

Q: When did Alysa Liu return to competitive skating?
A: Liu announced her return on Instagram on March 1, 2024, and made her competition comeback at the 2024 CS Budapest Trophy in October 2024, where she won gold.

Q: Did Alysa Liu win Olympic gold in 2026?
A: Yes. At the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Liu won gold in the team event on February 6, 2026, then won gold in the women’s singles individual event on February 20, 2026, with a total score of 226.79.

Q: Who coaches Alysa Liu?
A: Her primary coach is Phillip DiGuglielmo, who also coached her before her retirement. Italian coach Lorenzo Magri joined her coaching team during the comeback, and Massimo Scali handles choreography.

Q: Where does Alysa Liu go to college?
A: Liu enrolled at UCLA in fall 2023 and is studying psychology.

Q: What endorsement deals does Alysa Liu have?
A: As of April 2026, Liu has confirmed partnerships with Nike (including a launched apparel collection), Samsung Galaxy, Sephora, Gillette Venus, and Lucky Charms. She is represented by Yuki Saegusa at IMG.

Upcoming Projects / Season Outlook

• Stars on Ice 2026 Tour (U.S., spring 2026): Liu is scheduled to headline multiple stops alongside several Milano Cortina medalists. Tour dates and lineup subject to change.
• Nike Alysa Liu capsule collection (launch April 30, 2026): A co-designed apparel line featuring imagery from her skating career, with T-shirts and hoodies reportedly priced at $45 and $70 respectively. Announced by Nike and confirmed by NBC Bay Area.
• Sephora campaign (year-long, beginning April 2026): Liu signed a one-year partnership with the beauty retailer centered on self-expression and creativity. Additional campaign rollouts expected through 2026 and into 2027.
• 2026 World Figure Skating Championships (Prague, March 2026): Liu withdrew, citing her post-Olympic schedule. She is expected to return to international competition in the 2026–27 season.
• 2026–27 competitive season (expected): No confirmed Grand Prix assignments published as of press time; typical senior ISU assignments are announced in late spring. Her coach DiGuglielmo has indicated a return to full training following the spring 2026 media window.
• Media and creative projects: Liu appeared in Laufey’s “Madwoman” music video (April 2026) and remains active as a creative collaborator across music, photography, and fashion projects.

Interviews & Features

• Olympics.com, “Olympic champion Alysa Liu’s new high profile: This is crazy” (March 2026), on her Instagram surge from 210,000 to nearly 8 million followers and her adjustment to post-Olympic paparazzi and fan attention.
• NBC News, “Alysa Liu retired at only 16. Now, the figure skater is back” (January 2026), a pre-Olympic profile on her comeback and coaching setup with Phillip DiGuglielmo.
• Team USA, “Mental Health Awareness Month with Alysa Liu” (May 2025), an interview about mental health and the decision to step away from the sport in 2022.
• Inc., “Alysa Liu’s Viral Olympic Comeback Proves Authenticity Sells” (February 2026), a business-side read on her marketability and sponsorship landscape.
• U.S. Figure Skating, “Alysa Liu Wins First Women’s World Championships Gold for Team USA Since 2006” (March 2025), the official competition recap from TD Garden in Boston.

Public Appearances, Games, & Events

• 2025 World Figure Skating Championships (March 2025): Liu skated to gold at TD Garden in Boston, winning both segments in front of a home crowd.
• 2025–26 ISU Grand Prix Final (December 2025): Liu won gold in her Grand Prix Final debut at the Aichi Sky Expo in Nagoya, Japan.
• 2026 Olympic Winter Games (February 2026): Liu competed in Milano Cortina, Italy, winning gold in both the team event and the women’s singles individual competition at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
• Oakland Homecoming and Key to the City (March 2026): Liu received the key to the city of her hometown, Oakland, California, and headlined a celebration at the Oakland Ice Center where she first started skating.
• Paris Fashion Week and post-Olympic media tour (March 2026): Liu appeared at fashion events in Paris, taped interviews on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and 60 Minutes, and presented Artist of the Year to Taylor Swift at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles.