Alysa Liu has quit skating. Her new perspective upon returning helped her win Olympic gold

MILAN (AP) — Alysa Liu probably cared least of all the women in figure skating at the Milan Cortina Olympics about winning the gold medal.

Maybe that’s why he won.

The 20-year-old with the streaked hair, prominent frenulum piercing and carefree attitude never showed any worry or tension when she ice skated Thursday night. Instead, Liu waved to her friends and family in the stands, smiled throughout her program and acted as if she were just going through another training session at the Oakland Ice Center in California.

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“My family is out there. My friends are out there. I had to put on a show for them,” Liu said later. “When I see other people out there smiling, because I see them in the audience, then I have to smile too. I don’t have a poker face.”

It was all smiles for her crew after Donna Summer’s version of “MacArthur Park” came to a close. Liu achieved a score of 226.79 points, edging out silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto and Japanese teammate Ami Nakai, who took bronze.

Liu’s coaches, Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali, embraced each other in a hug, happy to know that a comeback in preparation after two years had achieved something incredible: the first gold medal in women’s figure skating for the United States since Sarah Hughes in 2002.

Members of Liu’s family stood and applauded, as did the rest of the crowd inside the Milan Ice Skating Arena.

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No doubt every U.S. Figure Skating official and every member of the Olympic team felt a wave of joy as well. Or relief. It’s been a frustrating Winter Games on several levels, starting with some controversial ice dance scores that denied Madison Chock and Evan Bates the gold medal, and continuing through Ilia Malinin’s struggles in her free skate earlier in the week.

The only golden moment until Thursday night was the team event, when Liu helped the United States defend its Olympic title.

“If I had a dime for every gold medal I have here,” Liu joked, “I would have two!”

This is the kind of “dad joke” that only Liu would make after triumphing on figure skating’s biggest stage.

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Four years ago, the daughter of a Chinese immigrant was in a very different state of mind. Liu had just finished sixth at the Beijing Games as a 16-year-old prodigy, but she might as well have finished last. She was so burned out by figure skating that her prevailing thought after that Olympic free skate was relief that it was over, rather than pride in what she had accomplished.

She was the little girl who was dropped off at the skating rink in the morning and picked up in the evening. His childhood revolved around practice and not his choice. When she became the youngest U.S. champion at 13, and defended her title the following year, she only upped the ante among those who saw her following in the footsteps of Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski.

Liu was trying to fit the mold everyone wanted for her.

So he quit. He’s gone. He suddenly decided to retire after the Beijing Games, leaving all that mental tension behind.

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For two years Liu did what he wanted, which had little to do with skating. He went on backpacking trips with friends and began studying psychology at UCLA. She got the frenulum pierced which you can see on her front teeth when she smiles. In short, she became a person in her own right, whose individualism made her a hero for alternative, emo and punk audiences.

She broke just about every mold for a skater.

“I love that Alysa is showing the whole world, and especially our skating world, that there is more than one way to win,” said Johnny Weir, the two-time Olympian, who along with Lipinski called her free skate for NBC Thursday night.

In fact, when Liu launched his comeback two years ago, he did it his way. He would only spend as much time on the training track as he wanted. She would be involved in every decision when it came to designing her programs. She had a say in her clothes too, her favorite being the sparkling gold ensemble which suited the moment perfectly on Thursday night.

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“Honestly, it was more than just work, it was experience,” Liu said. “The last time I skated, it was so hard. I honestly can’t get started. It took a lot to get to this point, and studying psychology has really helped me. I love psychology.

“All I want in my life is human connection, and damn, I’m connected to a lot of people now.”

That includes women like Tenley Albright, who won Olympic gold at the 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo Games, and was watching from the crowd Thursday night. And other American champions, such as Carol Heiss, Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill.

But there’s more.

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It’s a connection to everyone who has walked away from something and found their way back. Who cut ties with something they once loved so they could learn to love it again. And that they had to search far and wide to find out who they really are.

“I have no idea how I will deal with the situation. I will probably wear wigs when I go out,” Liu said, when asked how she plans to handle her sudden fame. “I hope with all this attention I can raise awareness about mental health in sport and mental health more generally. I think my story is very interesting. I hope I can inspire some people.”

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics