Some of the American women who previously won Olympic gold in figure skating became true cultural icons, symbols of their eras. Tenley Albright and especially Peggy Fleming thrilled U.S. fans in the 1950s and ’60s. More than 20 years after her title, Dorothy Hamill still appeared on Ross Geller’s infamous list on "Friends" (better not detail here what the list was for). During the turbulent 1990s, Kristi Yamaguchi and Tara Lipinski stood out and remain memorable to this day — even as they shared the spotlight with the tawdry, dirty and violent feud between Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, one of the wildest rivalries in sports history.
Then came a drought that lasted far too long. Since Sarah Hughes electrified her home crowd in Salt Lake City in 2002, the American skating empire faded on the Olympic stage. Japanese and Korean skaters took control, followed by the Russians (who won gold at the previous two Olympics, both times under a neutral flag). This time, however, the flag was unmistakable — the Stars and Stripes symbolizing a triumph that stirred the United States. After 24 years, the gold is American again, in the hands of Alysa Liu.
Her performance in the final was so powerful that long after it ended, it continued to reverberate online through viral clips and commentary. At 20, she arrived at her defining moment whole and complete, unfazed by the pressure to restore American pride. After all, the pressures her father endured were far greater — so what is an Olympic final on ice?
Retirement and a remarkable comeback
Arthur Liu fled to the United States in 1989 as a prominent activist in China’s pro-democracy movement protesting the regime. At 40, after building a successful legal career, he decided he wanted to become a father. With the help of two surrogate mothers and egg donation, he built a family of five children — Alysa is the eldest. He invested everything in his children, assisted by his mother, who arrived from China, and a partner from whom he later separated but whom the children considered their mother, and a punishing daily routine that began at 4:30 a.m. with cooking and laundry.
A fan of Michelle Kwan, who broke many glass ceilings for Asian American athletes, he pushed Alysa onto the ice and provided every condition for success, including homeschooling. At 13, she became the youngest U.S. champion in history. A year later, she repeated the feat. The future was not just bright — it was golden.
But young athletes under excessive mental strain often reach a breaking point. It is entirely understandable: they carry more than they can contain — the loss of normal life, external expectations, personal dreams. At just 16, Alysa announced her retirement, saying she wanted a normal adolescence. “I crave human connection,” she explained. “I lived alone for years for the sake of training.” She was not only an athlete but a highly publicized prodigy who modeled and appeared on television.
The decision came about two months after she finished sixth at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the competition she had targeted for so long. She wanted to live a full life. She enrolled in school, spent time with friends like any teenager, and even trekked to Everest Base Camp, unlike most teenagers.
When she returned to skating two years later, she did so as an adult making the best decisions for herself. Against all odds, her comeback culminated in a World Championship gold medal. Experts were stunned. That is not something that happens routinely. Like artistic gymnastics, figure skating demands absolute precision — thousands of tiny details drilled in Spartan fashion to avoid mistakes. You cannot step away for two critical years and then climb to the top of the world podium with such elegance as if nothing happened.
A big heart
The gold medal in Milan-Cortina was not Everest Base Camp — it was the summit, for Liu and for an entire nation. Its significance grew even more after American men’s favorite Ilia Malinin faltered badly in his event.
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From right, Ami Nakai, Alysa Liu and Kaori Sakamoto share the medal podium
(Photo: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)
The celebrations brought her even more love, internationally as well. She shared the podium with two Japanese skaters, and the 17-year-old bronze medalist, Ami Nakai, was overwhelmed with joy. Liu hurried to embrace her and celebrate together, and their photos captivated the world. “She’s just so cute,” Liu said. “So happy on the ice. You can see she loves it, and she was excited about her results, so I said I had to celebrate with her.” From there she moved to silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto, 25, who had announced that this would be her final competition, and held her as she cried.
And now Liu will do exactly what she wants — retire, return, study, fly. She is the best version of herself when she is the boss.