Figure Skater Alysa Liu Wins Gold by Skating for Joy

Alysa Liu glided onto the ice at the 2026 Olympics and changed everything we thought we knew about winning.

The California native just captured gold in women's figure skating, breaking a 20-year drought for Team USA. But here's what makes her victory truly special: she won by skating without fear, choosing joy over the pressure that crushes so many athletes.

Liu famously retired from competitive skating, then returned with a different mindset. She dropped the punishing quadruple jumps that damaged her body. She stopped chasing technical perfection and started skating just for fun.

"I'm not in it for a medal," she said before the competition. "I'm just here to have fun."

That philosophy worked. Her long program to Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park" transformed the arena into a party. Spectators jumped to their feet, clapping and cheering, feeding off her infectious energy. One reporter said Liu had "cast a happy spell over the whole crowd."

Chris Schleicher, a former figure skater now covering the Olympics for Slate, noticed something deeper. "She seems to be skating from a pure place of joy and not fear," he said. "I haven't seen that in maybe decades."

In a sport where one tiny mistake can end years of dreams, most skaters perform defensively. They skate not to lose rather than skate to win. The pressure makes them tight, cautious, afraid.

Liu did the opposite. She relaxed completely, leaning into the natural flow of the ice. Commentator Tara Lipinski pointed out that this relaxed approach actually helped her jumps soar higher and her landings look more beautiful, earning extra points from judges.

Why This Inspires

Liu's journey shows us something powerful about achievement. The version of herself that pushed to the physical limit with quadruple jumps never won Olympic gold. The version that prioritized joy and sustainability did.

She's rewriting what success looks like in figure skating. Not every skater will make the Olympics, but they can all find healthier measures of achievement. They can all choose to enjoy the sport they love.

Her gold medal sends a message beyond the ice rink. Stop constantly measuring yourself against impossible standards. Find joy in what you do. Take care of your body and mind.

Sometimes the secret to reaching the top is remembering why you started in the first place: because it brought you happiness.