Winter Olympics sensation Alysa Liu insists she will always prioritize hanging out with friends over her figure-skating career – even if it affects her form on the ice.
The 20-year-old made history at the Milan-Cortina Games last month after becoming the first American woman in 24 years to claim an individual gold in figure skating, while also helping USA come out on top in the team event.
Less than four years after she briefly retired from the sport, the double gold-medal triumph in Italy marks the pinnacle of Liu’s career, and the best could still be yet to come.
Though she has already expressed her desire to compete at the 2030 Games in France, the Olympic champion says she will never sacrifice her social life for skating glory.
‘I pick hanging out with my friends over a session, and if that makes me a worse skater, so be it,’ she said in an interview with Teen Vogue after starring on the cover of the publication. ‘I don’t care. I will jeopardize whatever.’
At just 13 years of age, Liu became the youngest US national champion in history, before she competed at the 2022 Beijing Olympics at 16.
USA star Alysa Liu insists she will always prioritize hanging out with friends over figure skating
Liu spoke with Teen Vogue after gracing the cover almost a week on from her Olympic success
After winning a World Championship bronze later that year, the California-born star abruptly quit figure skating in 2022.
She eventually returned to competition in 2024 and claimed victory at the World Championship just one year later, before picking up two gold medals at the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
‘I would’ve been fine either way,’ Liu said about her mindset heading into this year’s Games.
‘I would’ve been loving life outside of skating just as much [as winning gold medals]. But yeah, I’m really happy with how my life is right now.’
‘After I won, [there] was no sleep… I went home and I literally did whatever I wanted for five days,’ she recalled. ‘I didn’t have any media, and I had no commitments, so it was really great.
‘I got to see a lot of my friends again, and just relax and catch up on sleep. I skated twice just because I wanted to.’
Just over a week on from her incredible free skate, which ended America’s lengthy wait for an individual women’s gold, Liu crossed paths with Daniel Radcliffe while backstage at the Today show on Monday.
The 20-year-old says she would have been ‘fine either way’ if she didn’t win at the Olympics
But she went on to end America’s 24-year wait for a women’s figure-skating gold medal
The Harry Potter star was seen embracing Liu in a heartwarming moment before they grabbed a quick picture.
As they prepared to take the snap, she even offered Radcliffe the chance to try on one of her medals, yet he opted to simply hold it instead.
‘No I can’t wear it, I’ll hold it,’ he told her. ‘Wearing it feels like stolen valor.’
Radcliffe also went on to tell the figure skater that her gold medal-winning performance in Milan was ‘the most joyful thing I’ve watched.’
