Alysa Liu on Why She’d Tell Her Younger Self ‘Nothing’ After Gold: ‘She Will Figure It Out’
Walking away from your sport at 16 might sound like the end of the story. For figure skater Alysa Liu, it was the beginning of the one that ended with Olympic gold.
Liu won the women’s figure skating title at the 2026 Winter Olympics. In a March 2 interview on Today, she was asked what she would tell her younger self. Her answer was disarming.
“Nothing… she’s got it; she will figure it out. She will go through it, and like, I don’t want to mess it up,” Liu told co-anchor Dylan Dreyer.
She Left the Sport at 16
Liu previously retired from figure skating at age 16 following the Beijing Olympics. She wasn’t injured. She wasn’t told she wasn’t good enough. She was burned out, and she chose to prioritize her mental well-being.
For young athletes whose identities are tangled up in competition — who are known as “the swimmer” or “the runner” or “the skater” — the idea of stepping away, even temporarily, can feel like an ending. Your social circle revolves around the sport. Remove it, and the question hits hard: who are you?
Liu’s path offers an answer. Stepping away didn’t erase who she was. It didn’t mean she failed. After taking time away from the sport, she returned to competition and won Olympic gold in 2026.
A Direct Message to Parents
Liu didn’t hold back when it came to advice for parents whose kids are struggling in their sport. Asked about pushing young athletes to keep going, her response was blunt.
“Don’t,” she told Today. “It does not work. The kid knows himself pretty well, and it’s just never good to force anything.”
No qualifiers. No soft landing. Liu lived it, and her position is clear: forcing a young athlete to stay in a sport when they’re breaking down doesn’t build champions. It just doesn’t work.
Liu spoke directly to athletes who might be grinding through something they no longer love.
“If it’s really such a struggle, I would say definitely take that break. Don’t be scared to do that. Don’t be scared of failure,” she said. “Trying new things will definitely give you a different outcome.”
‘Don’t Try to be the Next Me’
Speaking to CBS News, Liu offered guidance to skaters hoping to follow in her footsteps. It wasn’t a training tip or a practice schedule.
“Don’t try to be the next me.”
She’s telling young athletes that their path is theirs. You don’t have to replicate someone else’s journey. You don’t have to hit the same milestones at the same ages or follow the same timeline to be successful. Your story is allowed to look completely different.
She added that she hopes her story reaches others. “I hope [my story is] inspiring, and I hope it allows for others to…break through more.”
One of the most practical things Liu shared is easy to miss next to the bigger emotional moments.
“At the end of the day, take some time for yourself. Spend time alone. I think it really helped me.”
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
