Kristy Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano, and Alisa Liu skating and say, “I’m not nervous”
Olympic champions Brian Boitano and Christy Yamaguchi praise Alisa Liu and her ability to have fun skating on the ice.
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MILAN — Alisa Liu is not your typical figure skater.
She does not fit the typical personality known for being full of royal qualities that reflect the grace and elegance displayed on the ice. You’ll notice the halo in her hair, the piercing in her upper frenulum and her youthful spirit.
Remember how Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries brought her unique style and shook up the status quo. “It’s unusual,” 1988 Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano said on USA TODAY’s “Milan Magic” podcast. A true alternative skater who overturns common sense.
Frankly, she doesn’t even know why she is the way she is.
“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Liu said. “After I die, they’re going to have to actually dissect my brain to understand me.”
A unique person and a unique skater.
The 2026 Winter Olympics won’t be Liu’s first Olympics, but it will definitely be the first one where she does it her way. In order to find his true self, Liu needed to step away from the sport itself. She did, and when she decided she wanted to skate again, she brought a new edge to this run that made it fun.
It’s fun, she’s better than ever, and she can do all that and more, including being able to break the 20-year record for American women not to win an Olympic medal.
It was just a few months after the 2022 Winter Olympics that Liu decided she wanted to take a break from figure skating. Under the guidance of his father, he continued to study hard from an early age, and this happened when he was 16 years old.
“She became really unhappy,” said her father, Arthur Liu. “She avoided the ice rink at all costs. She’s traumatized. She’s just traumatized. She suffers from PTSD and stayed away from the ice rink.”
A full year passed without skating again, and Liu thought it was over. Then, in January 2024, a ski trip to Lake Tahoe, California changed everything.
It wasn’t figure skating, but the adrenaline and cold rush of skiing reminded her of the sport. With something unlocked, Liu wanted to put on the skates, but this time it was on her terms.
That meant deciding when and how to train. Choose the music to go with her skating and the outfit she will wear. Mr. Liu was not going to let anyone tell him how to do this. That vacation really opened her eyes to what drove her away from it, and skating couldn’t have been more of a competition-driven ambition. Instead, it’s about being an artist.
“I learned that I really just want to make art, and I want to look at other people’s art and appreciate art honestly,” Liu told USA TODAY Sports. “I learned what I like and what I don’t like.”
While all is well and she’s skating dandy again, how can Liu reach anything close to her level? This is someone who became a U.S. champion at age 13 and an Olympian at age 16.
This perplexed figure skaters, including 1976 Olympic champion Dorothy Hamill, who thought the dismissal had gone on too long.
“In figure skating, if you take two weeks off, I can’t do anything,” she said on the Milan Magic podcast. “There was no way I could take two weeks off.”
As it turned out, there were no problems. Liu’s first tournament was the 2024 Budapest Trophy, which he won. She finished second at the 2025 U.S. Championships and made a fiery declaration that she would win the World Championships in March, a year after announcing her return.
Since then, the elite level of skating has persisted, winning the 2025 Grand Prix Final and finishing second at the 2026 U.S. Championships. It was no surprise that she was selected for Milan Cortina’s squad and it was an incredible comeback.
Leaving was “one of the best decisions I ever made,” but coming back was also “a really good decision.”
Alisa Liu’s unique personality
His on-ice success shines as brightly as Liu himself. It takes less than two minutes to realize how unique she is.
Liu is the definition of an extrovert. She is all about having fun and participating in endless activities. You may look at her and wonder how she has so much energy and always stays positive. While skating is the center of her world, she loves being outside of it. She’s showing off that she’s more than just a skater.
And when she talks, be prepared to laugh. We’ll never know her answer to the question. It’s honest, but it might be the first thing that pops into her head, and it can derail the conversation. As Ysabeau Levitt said at the U.S. Nationals, Liu “keeps himself on his toes.”
As strange as it may sound, this has brought new energy to the U.S. women’s team. There is no animosity between Liu, Levit, and Amber Glenn. She sees all skaters as artists and actively supports them, regardless of their status.
There is no doubt that Team USA’s “Blade Angels” are actively rooting for each other and hope to not only break a 20-year drought, but also achieve their dream of becoming the first Americans to win a podium.
Even though Ryu doesn’t receive a medal, she takes it calmly. Yes, she was part of the team event that won a gold medal, but she didn’t care at all that she didn’t win a medal in the women’s singles. In fact, she’s okay with dying at the end.
You can’t embarrass a girl who thinks mistakes are fun.
“Let’s say I’m at the Olympics and I fail a jump. I fail a few jumps or something and it’s completely bad. I don’t get a medal and I come in last place,” she said. “It doesn’t seem like it’s that bad. I think it’s still okay.”
There’s really no scenario where the Olympics won’t be a great time for Liu. With pressure mounting on U.S. figure skaters, she feels she has nothing to lose. Regardless of the result, her career will only go up from Milan Cortina.
This isn’t about being the best in the world or winning everything. It’s about doing what you love and not letting anything stop you from doing it.
“I really enjoy my time. I really value my training. That’s kind of why I came back. I love training every day and always putting my energy into something,” Liu said. “There’s not much to dislike about my skating career this time around.”
True, she is no stranger to the Winter Olympic stage, but she is practically a newcomer to the ice. At that time, Liu was a child, but now he is more than just an adult.
She has grown into a very fun, sharp and graceful skater. But most of all, she’s unapologetically herself and ready to show off her one-of-a-kind style fused with a carefree, goofy nature.
It’s an unusual recipe, but it’s sure to be a golden trip to Milano-Cortina.
USA TODAY sports reporter Josh Peter contributed to this report.
