Alysa Liu took to the skating rink on the Olympic surface ahead of the Cortina Games, slated to begin in just a few days. She was last in contention at the 2026 US Figure Skating Championships, finishing second and finalizing her American Olympic berth in women’s singles.
Liu finished seventh in the last Olympic edition in Beijing 2022, and later retired from the sport at 16.
Alysa Liu Takes the Olympic Surface Ahead of Competing at Her Second Olympic Games
Liu, who became the youngest-ever US women’s national champion at age 13, has been making waves in the skating realm like no other. She returned to the ice in the 2024-25 season and started to regain her footing from the 2024–25 Grand Prix series, where she won the Grand Prix Final. At the 2025 US Figure Skating Championships, she finished second behind Amber Glenn in the overall standings and repeated the same in 2026.
Having subsequently been named to the Cortina Olympics roster, the 20-year-old will be headed to her second Olympic Games and has already taken to the practice rink at the venue, just days before the ice skating events begin.
In a recent Instagram post, Liu shared a video of her maneuver, showing off her clean landings in an all-black outfit. The caption read:
“First session out on the Olympic surface”
Liu was the first American woman to land three triple axels and also became the youngest skater at 14 to win two senior national titles.
READ MORE: ‘Never Thought of Figure Skating in That Way’ Alysa Liu Opens Up on New Perspective After Return
The Olympian has always had a penchant for selecting the right music for her performances. At this year’s U.S. Championships, she had wanted to skate to a Lady Gaga–inspired piece, but ultimately stuck to “Promise” by Laufey for her short program and “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer for her free skate, both of which had given her a massive edge in international competitions.
She recently revealed that the hardest part of her sport is choosing the music, as songs nowadays rarely extend to four minutes, while her programs last that long.
When Liu took a break from figure skating, she focused on studying psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She also trekked to base camp on Mount Everest in 2023 but longed to be back on the rink. The World medalist secretly resumed practice once her desire to skate was reignited.
The 20-year-old aced a quadruple jump and triple axel in the same program, the first woman from any nation to do so. She made it to the Time 100 Next list in 2019.
