Alysa Liu, 20, completed one of the most remarkable comebacks in figure skating history by winning gold at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, on February 19, 2026 less than two years after returning to the sport she once stepped away from.

Born on August 8, 2005, in California’s Bay Area, Alysa Liu began skating at five years old. Her extraordinary talent and composure quickly set her apart. In 2018, she burst onto the international scene by winning the U.S. Junior National Championship and made history at the Asian Open as the youngest skater ever to land a triple Axel in competition.

The following year, at only 13, Liu captured the U.S. National title, becoming the youngest woman ever to win the championship. Her victory was not only historic because of her age, but groundbreaking in its technical brilliance. She became the first American woman to land three triple Axels in a single competition, showcasing rare consistency with one of figure skating’s most difficult elements. Liu continued to push boundaries; in 2019, she became the first American woman to successfully land a quadruple jump in competition, a quad Lutz. In 2020, she successfully defended her national title, the youngest skater ever to win back-to-back U.S. Championships.

In 2022, at just sixteen years old, Liu placed sixth at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. One month later, she claimed bronze at the World Figure Skating Championships. Following that achievement, Liu announced her decision to retire from figure skating and attend UCLA.

Two years later, Liu announced her return to the sport—this time on her own terms, motivated purely by her love for skating. What followed was nothing short of extraordinary. In 2025, she captured the World Figure Skating Championship title on home ice in Boston, becoming the first American woman in nineteen years to win the World crown.

She continued her triumphant resurgence by winning the 2025 Grand Prix Final, solidifying her status as the favorite heading into the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games. In Milan, Liu played a pivotal role in leading the United States to gold in the Team Event. Then, in the women’s individual competition, she delivered a performance for the ages—capturing her second Olympic gold medal. With that victory, she became the eighth American woman to win the Olympic title and the first since 2002, cementing her legacy among the sport’s all-time greats.