Alysa Liu Comes of Age

"She skated a splendid long program, cleanly landing her jumps, skipping and twirling through her footwork sequences with the lightness of a small bird-a performance that commentators were quick to characterize as joyful. She learned she'd finished seventh-the highest finish of an American woman in the singles skating, and something of a surprise. There was a time when Americans were perennial contenders in women's"

"She landed her first triple axel-a forward-entry jump that requires three and a half rotations, which was once a rarity in women's figure skating but had become increasingly compulsory among the most élite-in international competition when she was twelve, the youngest American ever to do it, and at thirteen she became the youngest U.S. champion in the sport's history. She"

Alysa Liu retired in 2022 at sixteen and returned to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics with newfound confidence and a greater sense of control. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics she finished seventh after delivering a technically clean, joyful long program while still a teenager. She landed her first triple axel at twelve and became the youngest U.S. champion at thirteen. At fourteen she became the first American woman to land a quadruple jump. Liu built a reputation for technical difficulty even as artistic recognition lagged, against a backdrop of a long U.S. Olympic-medal drought in women's singles.

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