Alysa Liu’s combination of unbridled joy and effortless talent won her a legion of fans when she returned to figure skating in 2024, and the two gold medals she clinched at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games only made her star power shine brighter.
With all eyes on the 20-year-old after her incredible Olympic run, many have wondered what her life off the ice is really like, and whether she has stepped into the dating pool despite her intense training and performance schedule.
Alysa shared in an interview with Cosmopolitan that she was single and not looking to date for a while, and instead wanted to focus on her friendships and her craft.
“Oh my god, this is, like, the first time I’ve talked about this,” she told the publication. “That’s a whole other thing that I’m not feeling right now. I have so much love in my life already, and I have so many amazing people, I just haven’t felt the need to look for more or look elsewhere.”
“I really love myself. And my standards are quite high, too,” she continued. Alysa’s packed schedule means that she rarely has time to go on a date. “If I were to date someone, we’d each have to make tons of sacrifices. It’s just not worth it at this point to build something,” she explained.
“I think when it comes, it will. I love being single, I really do. I do see myself being single for a long time. Especially right now, I choose friendships over relationships any day.”
© VCG via Getty ImagesThe athlete entered the world of figure skating at just five years old and was encouraged by her father, Arthur Liu, to pursue the sport. “I skated every day when I was 13 and 14, so it was a very abnormal childhood,” she told 60 Minutes. “Especially as a kid, you don’t really know what you want. Skating feels more like a responsibility or a burden, even.”
The life of a competitive figure skater did not suit Alysa, as she shared with the AP. “I would live at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado, in a dorm by myself. I would eat their food. I went to the rink, skated, ate lunch there, skated some more. Went back to the dorm.”
© AFP via Getty Images“I didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t see anything. I was just there. And so all that, I was like, ‘Skating is not worth it.’ Like, this is not worth it.'” Alysa retired from the sport altogether at age 16, then was inspired to come back two years later to qualify for the Olympics, but on her own terms this time.
© NurPhoto via Getty Images“I made a deal with my coaches: 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. I’m going to pick my own programs and skate the sessions I want to skate,” she told Cosmopolitan.
“Y’all are my coaches. You guys are going to help me and lead me in training, but I’m structuring it the way I want to.”
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