By News and Life editor Stuti Pemmaraju
Image courtesy of The Guardian
“I connect with everyone but I’m not attached to anything, so it’s really easy.” These words stuck with people the moment Alysa Liu said them.
The 20-year-old figure skater recently won Olympic gold for the United States in women’s singles. For the past few weeks, Liu has been blowing up social media platforms among Gen Z for everything from her signature hair look, to her effortless performances, to her new and refreshing mindset, and simply to how cool her entire brand is.
If by some chance you haven’t heard of Alysa Liu, she is the youngest U.S. national champion in decades. Being from Oakland, Alysa Liu delivered a historic performance at just 20 years old, winning gold in women’s singles and becoming the first American woman to reach the podium in the event since 2006. Her victory also marked the first time in 24 years that a U.S. woman won the individual title.
But Alysa Liu’s overwhelming success did not just happen overnight. Her entire childhood revolved around figure skating. Liu grew up with a single dad who devoted his entire life to her career, and made her life revolve around it, too. In a “60 Minutes” interview, Liu’s father stated that her figure skating career became his “second full time job,” with him investing up to $1 million on it. He would tell her what to eat, structure her training, and dedicate his life to developing her talent, up until Liu’s decision to step back from the sport at 16. Two years later, she returned, with a new and positive outlook, and most importantly, without outside pressure.
Liu talked openly about how she took a break for her mental health, even as many people questioned why she would step away during such an important time in her skating career. While some expected her to keep going no matter what in order to win, Liu made it clear that winning was never her main priority. She explained that she is ultimately there to enjoy the experience, even saying in an interview that “winning isn’t all that.”
In a sport that seems to revolve around perfection, Liu is proof that flawlessness is not what actually matters; it is a person’s mindset that really shapes their success. In her “Cosmopolitan” interview, she reinforced that independence, stating, “No one tells me what I’m gonna wear. No one tells me how my hair is gonna be. No one’s gonna try to change me.”
A particular statement made by Alysa Liu stood out specifically, “No one’s going to starve me, tell me what I can and can’t eat.” In a sport where athletes have historically faced pressure about their weight and appearance, this comment shows just how much of a role model Liu can be and how stereotypes can be broken because of her.
Apart from her persona, people on the internet admire Alysa Liu so much because of her mindset. These things that Liu openly states are what make her so refreshing, especially for newer generations. Beyond being a talented Olympic champion, Liu’s unapologetic self-expression and positive outlook on life are very much needed in a world where young people, athletes or not, feel overwhelmed by pressure, standards, and outside voices. And honestly, because of her a whole new generation is tuning in to figure skating.
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