Alysa Liu Returns From Everest Trek to Win Worlds at 20

At just 20 years old, Alysa Liu has already lived several lifetimes, and her latest chapter proves that sometimes you need to leave everything behind to discover what truly matters.

Liu shocked the skating world in 2022 when she walked away from the sport after making the Olympic team at 16. The pressure had become overwhelming, especially after FBI agents warned her that the Chinese government was spying on her family because of her father's involvement in the Tiananmen Square protests.

She traded the ice rink for college life at UCLA, studying psychology and spending unstructured time with friends and family. Then came the trip that changed everything: hiking to Mt. Everest Base Camp with her best friend.

"No phone. You're in the mountains," Liu recalls with genuine excitement. For weeks, the two friends bonded over both meaningful conversations and ridiculous debates about whether they'd rather be a cow or a chicken.

The experience gave Liu the space to understand herself outside of skating. She realized she'd felt trapped in a sport that had defined her since she won her first national championship at 13, becoming the first woman to land two triple axels at the event.

But a ski trip to Lake Tahoe in early 2024 reminded her of something important. The rush of speed and the smooth power of gliding brought back memories of what she genuinely loved about skating, separate from the pressure and expectations.

She started skating once a week at a local rink. A few months later, she announced her competitive comeback.

Why This Inspires

Liu's return wasn't about proving anything to anyone else. It was about rediscovering joy on her own terms.

In January 2025, she nearly won the U.S. championships again. Two months later, she claimed gold at the world championships, becoming the first American woman to win that title since 2006.

Now heading to her second Olympics, Liu carries a different energy. She's still the exuberant, fast-talking 20-year-old who admits she's "still pretty immature," but she's found something more valuable than technical perfection: genuine connection to why she skates.

"I really felt trapped and stuck," she explains about her time away. "The only way, in my brain, to reach out was to leave the sport."

Her journey proves that stepping back isn't giving up—sometimes it's the only way forward. Liu didn't just return to skating; she returned to herself first, and that made all the difference.