Changing the Game: How Alysa Liu's Comeback Could Revolutionize Figure Skating

Design by Christian Branch

By Max Pearson

Alysa Liu has taken the world by storm. A disillusioned child prodigy who once abandoned her sport, Liu came back from a two-year hiatus with an Olympic figure skating performance that won gold on her own terms. Liu's journey of mental health and breaking free from control speaks to the common struggles faced by figure skaters around the globe, and her success may provide a blueprint for the sport to move forward. 

Liu, a Bay Area native, has been skating since the age of 5. At 13, she became the youngest women's national champion in history. She went on to win titles and awards culminating in a sixth-place finish at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Immediately after, 16-year-old Liu decided to hang up her skates. 

Liu's reasons for leaving skating illuminate deep problems within the sport's conventional system. Skating is notorious for the pressure it puts on young athletes to fit a skinny, "competition-ready" norm. Many skaters have no say in the frequency or content of their meals or workouts. Liu can attest to this: "Ever since I was a kid," she says, "I was told stuff like, 'Don't eat that'. You can't drink water even, because of water weight. Imagine telling a 13-year-old they can't drink water because of water weight!" These figure skating customs have disastrous consequences: One study found that 20.5% of skaters had a history of eating disorders, with 62.5% reporting symptoms of anorexia.

Liu's lack of control over her life extended beyond her diet. As a child, Liu had no influence over her choreography, dresses or music. She spent eleven to twelve hours a day in the rink, far away from her family and friends. Like many skaters, this lack of autonomy took a toll on her mental health. "I felt like I was missing life all for this skating career I didn't even care about," she says. Liu says that watching old footage of her skating "feels like watching a different person." "I don't have those memories," she says. 

Liu retired from figure skating with one goal: to live. She spent time getting her driver's license, going on vacations and climbing to the Mount Everest Base Camp. She enrolled at UCLA as a psychology major. But, while skiing down a mountain in January 2024, Liu once again felt the call of the ice. Inspired, Liu called her old coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo, and said she wanted to skate again. "I never thought I would be back," she said, "He fully thought I was kidding."

This time, Liu made it clear she would be in control. She chose her own diet, coaches and session times. "Even my training outfits, I get to choose now," she says. Liu relished in her new artistic control over her choreography, music, and appearance, sharing programs set to the music of Lady Gaga, Laufey and PinkPantheress. Far from the traditional medal-seeking mindset, Liu focused on a balanced mindset, prioritizing friends, school and mental health over her sport. When it came to her approach to the Olympics, Liu said, "My goal is just to do my programs and share my story (...) I don't need a medal. I just need to be here, and I just need to be present, and I need people to see what I do next." 

Liu's mental-health-first approach won Olympic gold at Milan in a performance defined by its unconventionality. Liu's raccoon-pattern hair, DIY smiley piercing and artistic strategy was a far cry from the straight-faced, points-maximizing discipline of her predecessors. Her performance radiated joy, and she smiled through her choreography (parts of which she planned herself) from start to finish. "I mean, it was just bliss," she says. "I was so happy to be there (...) I did everything I wanted to do."

Following her win, the internet exploded with support. Fellow Olympian and bronze medalist Amber Glenn spoke to the power of Liu's performance. "People will be able to see how she approaches the sport now versus before and see how much more successful it is now," she says. "I'm hoping people can really learn from that."  

Liu's success story shows that when athletes are allowed control over their training, bodies and lives, they can achieve incredible feats. Liu's strong artistry brought her gold, but it was the joy she did it with that won her the public's hearts — and that has the potential to revolutionize the world of figure skating.

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Max Pearson is a City College transfer student majoring in education. Her dream is to be an elementary school teacher and a published novelist. When not writing, she can be found embroidering flowers on her sweaters, exploring NYC, or nerding out about historical medicine to anyone who will listen.