The opening ceremony has begun in Italy for the Winter Olympic Games, and over the next two weeks, the best figure skaters in the world will duel for medals in individual, pairs, and team programs.
One of the top names heading into the event is a woman who only a few years ago thought her figure skating career was over: Alysa Liu.
Now, the UCLA Bruin is walking into Milan as the reigning women’s world champion and one of the frontrunners to take home a gold medal. After failing to podium four years ago in Beijing, she’s looking for redemption in Europe.
More news: Who is Figure Skater “Quad God” Ilia Malinin at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
More news: Winter Olympics Opens With Backlash: ‘Boring’ Ceremony Buried in Ads
How old is she and where is she from?
Liu is 20 years old and from Clovis, California, a city northeast of Fresno. She was a figure skating prodigy, winning her first United States championship at the age of 13. She went back-to-back, winning the 2020 national title at 14.
Wait, she retired?
Yes, Liu is 20 but has already retired. Remember, she had been skating her entire life and had heaps of expectations put on her shoulders before she even reached high school.
Following her first trip to the Olympics, where she finished seventh in the women’s solo competition, and then third at the world championship that year, she retired from the sport. Liu stated that her entire life had been about figure skating and that she wanted to “move on with her life,” citing that she was satisfied with her career.
Two years later, though, after a skiing trip that rejuvenated her love for competing, she announced her return to the pros.
How good has she been since returning?
Liu has been nothing short of phenomenal. She won the 2025 world championship in front of a home crowd in Boston. After that, a few months later, she grabbed another gold at the 2025-26 Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan.
The prodigy has become a fully-fledged superstar.
Who are her biggest rivals at the Olympics?
While Liu is one of the favorites for gold in Milan, she isn’t alone.
U.S. teammate Amber Glenn is the reigning national champion and is seen as a contender for at least a podium spot.
Russian champion (competing under the Individual Neutral Athletes), Adeliia Petrosian, is seen as a generational talent like Liu, having won back-to-back national titles at just 18.
Finally, her biggest rival is Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, a three-time world champion who won bronze at the Beijing Games four years ago.
