"Alysa Liu made her way through a mixed zone teeming with hundreds of reporters at a quarter past midnight early Friday morning, an Olympic gold medal draped around her neck, the sequins in her color-coordinated dress glimmering beneath the klieg lights and crush of television cameras. The 20-year-old from West Oakland had just become the first American woman to win figure skating's biggest prize in 24 years, drilling seven clean triples to leapfrog a pair of Japanese rivals from third place after Tuesday's short program"
"Liu's carefree mindset should and will be studied in the weeks, months and years after these Olympics especially these Olympics as a counterpoint to the results-obsessed mindsets that have shattered the mental wellbeing of so many athletes thrust into the pressure-cooker of the world's biggest sporting event. She spoke candidly and insightfully on how her unique journey from child prodigy to burnout case to second-act skater gave rise to an indifference to scores or placements."
Alysa Liu won Olympic gold at age 20 after executing seven clean triple jumps, becoming the first American woman to win the event in 24 years. Liu embraced a carefree mindset and displayed indifference to scores or placements after a career arc that moved from child prodigy to burnout and then to a renewed competitive phase focused on artistry. Her central goals were making the U.S. team and sharing her skating on the world stage. Kaori Sakamoto took silver, reacted emotionally to a few faint mistakes, and enters retirement after a career including an Olympic bronze and three world titles.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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