winter olympics figure skating: Alysa Liu skates on her terms in Milan-Cortina
Alysa Liu arrived at the ice wearing the confidence of someone who has reclaimed authorship of her own career. The 20-year-old reigning world champion, competing in her second Winter Games, skates into the free program on Thursday (ET) in third place overall, and she has made clear that medal or no medal she is running the show.
Return to the ice on her own terms
Liu’s path back to the podium was not simply a matter of training harder. After stepping away from competition for two years, she returned only after insisting she would control the decisions that define her life on and off the ice. "The most important part of this Olympics, " she has said, "is that I am the director of that movie. " That directorship includes music, costumes, training choices and the emotional tone she brings into the rink.
Her warm-up routine at the Games drew notice not for technical thrift but for personality. While many competitors retreated into focused isolation, Liu joked with teammates, waved to friends and applauded other skaters mid-session. At one point she spotted family in the stands and pointed at them, beaming as she flew by. The lightness is purposeful: a revised relationship with the sport that privileges agency over obedience.
Family dynamics and the cost of early success
Liu’s rise was fast and intensive. She became the youngest U. S. national champion at 13, then repeated the feat the following year. Her technical milestones were equally dramatic—she landed a triple axel internationally at age 12. That precocious success came under heavy parental management. Her father was deeply involved in coaching decisions, training schedules and even personnel moves; coaches and support staff sometimes found themselves on the receiving end of abrupt dismissals.
When Liu told her father she wanted to skate again, she said he would no longer be part of the team. The move cut into long-standing dynamics and produced an emotional reckoning. He admitted the news hurt, but recognized that letting her assert control was essential for her return. Their split is part of a larger story about youthful prodigies who reach elite levels while still often dependent on adults whose well-meaning ambitions can clash with the athlete’s emerging autonomy.
Medal prospects and what comes next
Skating third into the free program gives Liu a clear window to challenge for a podium spot, but she has publicly downplayed the disaster of a low finish. "That just doesn’t seem like a horrible situation, " she said of the prospect of returning without a medal. "I’d still be OK with that if that were a movie. " The comment is telling: the stakes are real, but they are no longer the only narrative that defines her career.
Her current coach remembers the high standards set early in her career, and the roster of intense expectations that followed. Now, with Liu insisting on creative and administrative control, the emphasis has shifted toward sustainable motivation and the joy of performance. Whether she leaves Milan-Cortina with hardware or not, the competition will be judged as much on its role in the arc of her autonomy as on the marks on the scoreboard.
For viewers and fellow athletes, Liu’s presence at these Winter Games is a reminder that elite sport is as much about personal growth as measurable achievement. Her free skate on Thursday (ET) offers a conclusion to this chapter—one that she has written and staged herself.
