As the television’s luminescent glow illuminates the living room, you become entranced by the encapsulating twirls from the Winter Olympic figure skaters. The classy demeanor of the athletes and soothing voice of announcers pacifies your brain, but something about gold medalist figure skater Alysa Liu feels… different sort of, rebellious.
The 20-year-old athlete balances being a psychology major at UCLA and a world-class figure skater. Retiring from elite-level skating in the Winter Olympics in 2022 after taking home sixth place in singles, she took a two-year hiatus from figure skating, pursuing her college life. In the Winter Olympics of 2026, Liu made a lasting impression on fans around the world with her world-class performance, winning two gold medals.
Liu skated to “Promise” by Laufey and performed two main triple jumps and one double jump on Feb. 6. The triple Lutz-triple loop was Liu’s highest-scoring component of her routine and although she didn’t land it, her attempt earned her an automatic 10 percent bonus for the latter half of her routine, receiving 11.71 points, putting her at third place overall.
“The artistic part of figure skating, [her performance] shows the [art] part of figure skating because a lot of times figure skating is mistaken as just skills,” competitive figure skater junior Ithalia Nevarez said. “I feel proud of her because she was very set on [winning], and now she has got to do her own way. It really showed that [anything is possible] because coaches in skating can be very strict and hard on you.”
In her free skate, Liu perfected seven triples and four doubles leading her to a score of 150.20 on Feb. 19. Liu decided not to attempt high-value tricks such as quad jumps and triple axels, but still leaped to first place winning gold.
Liu made history this year, scoring an astonishing score of 226.79 in an individual category, being the first American woman to win gold in 24 years. Along with her win, she contributed her second place short program of 74.90 for the team event, winning the U.S. another gold medal.
The internet has been going crazy for Liu’s gritty, fun, “I’m just doing it just cause” attitude and appeal. Re-entering a sport just for fun was a mentality unlike many others and winning gold added to the attraction.
Liu’s vibrant yellow-black striped hair has made headlines as people on TikTok and Instagram sang her praises and complemented her aesthetic. Liu winning gold boosted her online fanbase tenfold with so many followers loving and replicating her hair.
![Senior Kyle Lin scrolls through his Spotify playlist to prepare mentally for practice. "[Music] helps me get to a good vibe or mood and it helps me prepare mentally for my race or just practice," Lin said.](https://whshoofprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_9092-e1777086977174-800x1200.jpg)
