Alysa Liu’s incredible comeback story has led her to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy, after previously retiring from competitive figure skating.
Liu made history as the youngest-ever U.S. Figure Skating champion at just 13 years old and represented Team USA in Beijing at the 2022 Winter Olympics when she was 16. That same year, Liu stunned the sports world by announcing her retirement from figure skating.
“I’m here to announce that I am retiring from skating,” she wrote via Instagram in April 2022. “I started skating when I was 5 so that’s about 11 years on the ice and it’s been an insane 11 years.”
Liu largely dropped out of the spotlight following her retirement until she revealed she was “back on the ice” in March 2024. Liu’s comeback has been nothing short of sensational, as she won the World Figure Skating Championship in Boston in March 2025.
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The now-20-year-old athlete faces her most grueling challenge to date as she joins fellow Team USA members Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito — a.k.a. “The Blade Angels” — at the Olympic Games in Italy.
Keep scrolling for more information on Liu’s retirement and historic comeback.
Alysa Liu Admitted to Having an ‘Abnormal Childhood’
Alysa Liu started skating at just 5 years old after her father, Arthur Liu, brought her to the Oakland Ice Center in Oakland, California. Alysa showed natural skill, winning an intermediate gold medal at the 2016 U.S. Championships when she was only 10 years old.
“I ice skated every day when I was 13, 14, so it was a very abnormal childhood,” she later told 60 Minutes.
In that same interview, Liu reflected on the harsh realities of competitive skating at such a young age, as her diet, wardrobe and performance style were all heavily monitored.
Asked if skating felt like “a job,” she admitted, “Yeah, yes. Especially as a kid, you don’t really know what you want. Skating feels more like a responsibility, or a burden even.”
Alysa Liu Became a National Champion at Age 13
Alysa Liu was viewed as a prodigy by skating experts, having become the youngest skater ever to compete in the U.S. National Championships at age 13 in San Jose, California, in 2018.
In January 2019, Liu made history again as the youngest-ever U.S. Women’s National Champion at just 13 years old. She blew away the competition when she completed three triple axels — which was the most for any U.S. female figure skater in history.
“I did want to win, but I really just wanted to do my best when I got here,” she said at the time. “I was just happy that I beat my personal record.”
Liu’s young age prevented her from competing at the World Championships and the Junior World Championships that year.
“I get more time to work on my jumps, skating skills and spins and try to learn more,” she vowed.
Alysa Liu Retired From Figure Skating at 16 Years Old
Two months after representing Team USA at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games in 2022, Alysa Liu announced that she was retiring from figure skating at 16.
Liu had been skating for 11 years at that time and admitted there were “a lot of good and a lot of bad” memories from her time competing.
“I honestly never thought I would’ve accomplished as much as I did,” she announced in a now-deleted Instagram post in April 2022. “I’m so happy. I feel so satisfied with how my skating career has gone.”
The champion athlete felt it was time to start “moving on with my life,” including spending more time with her family and friends.
“[Skating] has taught me a lot more about life than I anticipated. I’m really glad I skated,” her statement concluded.
Alysa Liu Shunned Social Media During Her Retirement
Alysa Liu chose to walk away from social media at the same time she left figure skating behind. She stopped posting regularly via Instagram and deleted her official TikTok and X accounts.
Speaking to U.S. Figure Skating, Liu confessed that she “used to like [social media] a lot but not so much anymore.”
“I like Netflix better. I don’t know, social media is exhausting, so I may never do it again,” she said in 2020.
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Liu stressed the importance of not being influenced by the fame and attention that comes with social media.
“Honestly I feel kind of the same,” she explained. “It doesn’t really feel like anything has changed. I get more praise, but I still feel the same.”
Alysa Liu Made a Spectacular Comeback to Figure Skating
Alysa Liu made the surprising announcement in March 2024 that she was returning to competitive skating after two seasons in retirement.
“I’m glad everything happened,” Liu told Olympics.com in October 2024. “You know, butterfly effect. Like, I don’t think I would be here without it. So I don’t regret anything. And I’m glad… I wouldn’t change anything.”
Liu suggested that it was “really important for me to experience a different life where skating isn’t everything” before deciding to recommit to the sport.
“Looking back, I’m glad [how everything happened],” she said. “I’m almost glad that I had to struggle so much because I learned so much from that, you know? And I think it definitely played a role in where I am today… it definitely helped me. I needed to go through that.”
All of her hard work paid off when Liu won the Women’s Singles World Figure Skating Title at the ISU Championships in Boston in March 2025 and clinched the same title at the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan, in December 2025.
Alysa Liu Is One of Team USA’s ‘Blade Angels’
Alysa Liu and her Team USA teammates Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito are known as the “Blade Angels.” Ahead of Milan and Cortina, Glenn promised that the Blade Angels would be a force to be reckoned with at the Winter Games.
“If we do our jobs in Milan, then more than likely someone is going to be up there [accepting a medal],” Glenn predicted at a press conference.
While the trio’s nickname is popular via social media, Liu disclosed in February 2026 that “Blade Angels” wasn’t necessarily their first choice.
“I think we’ve settled on ‘Blade Angels’ but ‘Babes of Glory’ was one of the options,” she told NBC News. “People can call us whatever they want!”
She added, “We’re just girls. I think any team with girls is special!”