Alysa Liu won gold in the women's skating final at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 19 in Milan
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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 whoretiredfrom competitive figure skating at just 16 after losing her "joy" and "passion," 20-year-oldAlysa Liuappeared 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 the2026 Winter Olympics— with energy matched by an effervescent personal style, including a "smiley" piercing over her front teeth andtwo-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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Nobody who watched Liu's performance to Donna Summer's disco staple"MacArthur Park"— whichbrought the crowd to its feetwith each triple jump, each hand flick, each knee slide and hair toss, all accompanied by a beaming grin — would disagree.
Liu becamethe first American woman since 2002to win gold in figure skating and managed todo it on her own termsafter 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."
The oldest of five kids, all born via surrogacy, Liu was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area by single fatherArthur 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 ofher 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.
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'strying to be less heavy-handedwith 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
Read the original article onPeople
