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Alysa Liu retired from skating at 16 as she felt 'stuck', wins Olympic Gold at 20 after 2-year break
Gold.
February 22, 2026, 05:01 PM
On Feb. 19, Alysa Liu clinched America's first gold medal since 2002 in the Winter Olympics’ women’s free skating event.
Image from Olympics/YT
The announcer declared that Liu had returned "better than ever before".
Just four years ago, it seemed as if Liu's already decorated career had come to an end.
The 16-year-old, who had already been on the ice for 11 years at that point, said that she was going to retire and move on with her life.
But she would later make her comeback in 2024, with this Instagram post.
Liu would call this two-year-break the "only way" to try other things and not feel so trapped and stuck.
According to CNN, Liu had gone to live the life she had missed, including Himalayan hikes and college courses, things that would seem normal for a 16-year-old to experience.
Her coach said that Liu had no memories of any of the places she went to or the competitions she did when she was younger.
"She was so not happy that she wound up compartmentalising. She does not remember that she went to junior worlds, or that she went to the junior Grand Prix final. She doesn’t remember any of that.
So last year’s tagline was making memories. If we’re in Japan, we’re getting ramen. We wanted to say, 'Here we are, this is what we’re doing.'"
When asked about any advice she might have for younger skaters, Liu said it was important to take some time for themselves.
"Spend time alone. I think it really helped me."
Image from Liu's Instagram and Reuters
