Alysa Liu

At just 21 years old, Alysa Liu holds two Olympic gold medals. Even though she holds these huge accomplishments, she cares more about having fun than winning. However, she didn’t always have this mindset.

Alysa was born in Clovis, California on August 8th, 2005. She started taking recreational figure skating lessons when she was 5. She became the youngest woman to land a triple axel in an international competition at 12. Then, in 2019, she became the youngest U.S. figure skater champion at just 13 years old. She was born with great talent, but she also worked very hard to get this far. The extensive training and pressure put a heavy mental weight on her. This essentially led to her quitting for almost two years, which was a huge surprise to everyone.

In March 2024, she announced that she would be coming back to skating. She had to work hard to get back to the level she was at and uphold the standards. Only this time she was doing it on her own terms. She learned to limit her practice hours and how to say no when things were going to be too hard on her. By setting these boundaries for herself, she now has the energy to enjoy skating and express herself through it. 

This was really proven during her performances in the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games. She came to this event with a completely new attitude. She chose the songs that she skated to and had fun with them. She was described by the commentators as “playing on ice” and having “childlike joy.” She looked like she was finally enjoying skating again without feeling like it was a job. This joy leaked from her to the arena audience, fans at home, and the judges, landing her two gold medals.

Alysa is a great example of how joy can be contagious. She is a symbol of the importance of loving what you do. Many people around the world can use her story as inspiration to take things a little less seriously to make a more positive life.

Works Cited

"Alysa Liu Is Winning on Her Own Terms." Nike, about.nike.com/en/magazine/alysa-liu-exclusive-interview. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Price, Catherine. "Alysa Liu and the Power of Fun." Substack, catherineprice.substack.com/p/alysa-liu-and-the-power-of-fun. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.