Alysa Liu’s Journey Back to the Spotlight   

• Alysa Liu stunned the skating world when she retired at 16 in April 2022, stepping away from competition at the height of her early success. Two years later, she returned. Now 20, Liu has two gold medals under her belt from the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships and the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. She stood atop the podium wearing raccoon-striped hair, a small smiley-face piercing, and exuberant confidence. In Milan, she did not skate like someone carrying a nation on her back. During warm-ups, she waved to friends, joked with teammates, and applauded competitors. Spotting her family in the stands, she pointed and grinned before delivering a clean, fearless program. Her first ascent was fueled by intensity. At 12, she became the youngest skater to land a triple axel in international competition. At 13, she became the youngest U.S. national champion. Her father, Arthur Liu, closely monitored her training and changed coaches when standards were not met. After Beijing 2022, Liu stepped away from the spotlight, enrolling at UCLA, traveling, and visiting Everest Base Camp. When she returned in 2024, she skated with rediscovered joy, which carried her back to the top of the sport. May For The Teen Times teen/1773632759/1613367679