Fresh off one of the greatest comeback stories in sports history, Alysa Liu already has her next adventure in mind. The 20-year-old double gold medalist who dazzled the world with her free skate at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics to become the first American woman to win individual figure skating gold in 24 years, said she’s eager to hit the waves next. “I heard that surfing was really similar to skating and skiing,” Liu said. “In the way that we glide. There’s not many activities in life where you feel the glide, and I recently heard surfing was one of them. So I really want to try that out.” Liu’s road back to the top is the stuff of legend: after retiring at just 16 due to burnout, a spontaneous skiing trip in 2024 reignited her love of gliding,and ultimately led her back to the ice and straight to Olympic gold.
In Milan Liu won two golds, the individual women’s event and the team competition, and did it entirely on her own terms by selecting her own music, coaching team, and approach. Her infectious, carefree energy on the ice captured hearts worldwide, sending her Instagram following soaring from under 300,000 to nearly 5.8 million overnight. Now back home in California, she’s already preparing for the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague on March 24, followed by Stars on Ice tours in Japan and the U.S. But in true Alysa fashion, there’s always room for something new. “It’s still me,” she said of life post-Olympics. “I want my life to stay as similar as possible. I like my life.” Surfboard, consider yourself warned.
