Oakland celebrates hometown hero Alysa Liu

SCREEN CAPTURE / KRON

Oakland's hometown hero Olympic champion Alysa Liu yells, "This is for y'all."

Alysa Liu didn't want a parade. She wanted a party and that's what she got as thousands of Oaklanders flooded Frank Ogawa Plaza Thursday to give a hero's welcome to their homegrown champion, Alysa Liu.

“What’s up, Oakland!” Liu said. “This is for y’all,” she added, holding the gold medals around her neck as the crowd cheered.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist stood before a sea of nearly 7,000 fans who turned out for a massive homecoming rally that felt more like a family reunion than a formal ceremony. 

“She’s our hero,” said US Rep Lateefah Simon . “She’s an American hero. She brought that gold to Broadway. If you want something done, have a young woman of color do it.”

At just 20 years old, Liu has already etched her name into the history books as the first American woman in 24 years to take home individual Olympic gold in figure skating, but today was all about the Town.

The energy in downtown was electric as Mayor Barbara Lee handed Liu the Key to the City, acknowledging the skater's historic double-gold performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. The plaza is just a few blocks from the skating rink where Liu trained and Oakland School of the Arts which she attended.

In a move that felt uniquely Oakland, the event skipped the traditional parade in favor of a community-focused celebration at Liu’s own request. The stage was a showcase of local greatness, with emcee Sway Calloway keeping the crowd hyped while Kehlani and G-Eazy performed for their fellow native daughter.

The honors didn't stop at the key; the city officially declared March 12 as "Alysa Liu Day." Figure skating icon Olympic gold medalists figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and boxer Andre Ward shared the stage. Bay Area legends including Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr shared heartfelt messages  to congratulate the young star who has captured the world's attention.

While Liu recently made the tough call to withdraw from this month’s World Championships to catch her breath after the "crazy" whirlwind of Olympic success, she isn't going anywhere. She has already confirmed she has no plans to leave the ice and is fully committed to the 2026–2027 competitive season. Fans won't have to wait long to see her back in action, as she is set to headline the Stars on Ice tour starting this April in Japan before bringing the show across the United States.

Beyond the rink, Liu is looking to flex her creative muscles in the fashion world, hinting at new design projects and a fresh vision for her upcoming programs. As she signed off on her latest update with a promise to see everyone next season, it’s clear that while she’s taking a well-deserved moment for herself right now, the reigning queen of the ice is just getting started.

At the end of the sold-out celebration there was an appearance from another Oakland School for the Arts alum: Oakland's own Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Kehlani, Liu’s favorite artist. Her performance had Liu and Mayor Lee dancing to her performance.

It’s a rare thing to see an athlete with this much perspective at such a young age, especially one who could still be at the top of her game for years to come.

“Representation matters so much,” she said during a press conference ahead of the main event. “We don’t really realize it. Having one person is sometimes all you need and I’m honored and grateful that I can be that for some people.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

Eileen Gu and Alysa Liu are being honored by their hometowns

SCREEN CAPTURE

As Grand Marshall of San Francico's Chinese New Year parade Eileen Gu was greeted with cheers.

Olympians Eileen Gu and Alysa Liu are back home in the Bay Area and their hometowns are celebrating their athletic accomplishments.

While the national media often tries to frame their careers through a lens of geopolitical tension, the local Asian American community is offering a much warmer, more nuanced embrace. From the streets of San Francisco to the rinks of Oakland, the sentiment is clear: these are our daughters, and we are proud of them.

In San Francisco, Eileen Gu recently took center stage as the Grand Marshal of the Chinese New Year Parade. Despite the "traitor" labels tossed around in the darker corners of the internet, the crowds in Chinatown roared with approval. 

Community leaders have been quick to point out that Gu’s success is an affirmation of the Chinese American identity, a bridge between two worlds that many locals navigate every single day. To the people who watched her grow up, her choice to represent China isn't a betrayal—it’s a personal journey of heritage.

Across the Bay Bridge, Oakland is gearing up for a massive rally at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza to honor Alysa Liu. The vibe in the East Bay is one of pure hometown pride, focusing on Liu’s signature grit and the "Oakland swag" she brings to the ice. 

FYI: The city of Oakland is planning a massive homecoming rally for Alysa Liu on Thursday, March 12 at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in front of City Hall.

Even with the complex history involving her father’s political activism, the community is rallying behind her as a hometown hero who has navigated immense pressure with grace.

As for Alysa, she seems to be everywhere you turn as she bathed in the Olympics afterglow: on talk shows, interviews by major media and in two giant murals (one in Oakland and the other in Los Angeles where she goes to school.)

She is a lively interview. Since the Olympics she announced she would not compete in the upcoming World Skating Championship this year. Not unusual as she values her frends more than the rigors of training and then, there's school where she is majoring in psychology at UCLA. 

She also said she and her family lean towards progressive causes especially around the environment and immigration, mentioning some of the "No Kings" protests in which she has participated. Liu has also defended Eileen Gu's decision to ski for China.

Liu and Gu first met each other at a Bay Area Chinese banquet when Alysa just won the US figure skating title at the age of 13. At that point, Gu was 15. They sang karaoke together, and, says Alysa, they've been friends ever since.

Alysa Liu is a favorite in the talk show circuit for her outspokeness and lively personality.

Despite the heavy political discourse that has followed them since the 2022 Beijing Games, both Gu and Liu remain steadfast in their perspective: they see themselves as athletes first, regardless of whether they are representing China or the United States.

Liu has been particularly vocal in her defense of Gu, labeling the intense scrutiny over national loyalty as "hypocritical," she says in an intreview in the New York Times. She points out the irony of critics who tell immigrants to "go back to where they came from" suddenly becoming outraged when an athlete chooses to represent their ancestral heritage. 

For these two, the bond of their shared Bay Area upbringing and Chinese descent outweighs the noise of international politics.What resonates most within the AAPI community is how both young women insist on being athletes first. They are rejecting the rigid binary that demands they choose one side of their identity over the other. 

To Liu and Gu, it isn't about geopolitical maneuvering; it’s about a love for the game and the drive to compete at the highest level. They’ve made it clear that while flags may change, their identity as competitors and friends remains unchanged.

By standing by each other and dismissing the outside noise as "hypocritical," Liu and Gu are modeling a new kind of cultural solidarity. They prove that you can represent different flags while sharing the same roots, reminding us all that the bond of community is far stronger than any political headline.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

2026 Olympics: Skating with joy, Alysa Liu wins a gold medal

Figure skater Aysa Liu loves the audience applause after her gold medal performance.

If you weren’t already a member of the Alysa Liu fan club, her performance Thursday night in Milan probably fixed that. 

The 20-year-old from the Bay Area didn’t just win an Olympic gold medal; she reclaimed the joy of a sport that she once walked away from, and she did it with a "megawatt smile" that lit up the entire Milano Ice Skating Arena at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Liu’s victory is more than just a personal win — it’s a historic moment for Team USA. She is the first American woman to stand atop the individual Olympic podium since Sarah Hughes in 2002. For those of us keeping track, that’s 24 years of waiting, finally ended by a skater who prioritizes fun as much as her footwork.

Coming into the free skate in third place, Liu was the picture of "calm, cool, and collected." Dressed in a shimmering gold outfit that seemed to predict the final result, she delivered a masterclass to Donna Summer’s disco classic "MacArthur Park."

Her priorities

From her opening triple flip to her closing combinations, Liu was virtually perfect. She racked up a career-best 150.20 in the free skate for a total of 226.79, enough to edge out Japan’s powerhouse skaters Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai.

After her final pose, Liu didn’t collapse in exhaustion. Instead, she gave a casual flip of her ponytail and a shrug, as if to say, "Yeah, that's done. Time to go hit a karaoke bar."

Fans caught a real moment of triumph on camera as she stepped off the ice, she looked straight into the camera and exclaimed, "That’s what I’m f***ing talking about!" [Note: Viral social media moment]. It was the kind of unfiltered joy we love to see from an athlete who has truly found her voice.

RELATED:

• Alysa Liu's triumphant return from retirement. 
• Asian American Olympians honor immigrant parents
• Asian American skaters key to Team USA gold medal
• 14 Asian American athletes to follow at the 2026 Olympics
• 'Snow Princess' wins a silver medal for China
• Judging controversy tarnishes ice dancing medals
• Chloe Kim offers life lessons after winning a silver medal
• Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu divide the Chinese American community
• Eileen Gu wins second silver medal for China

Skating is something she enjoys, but it is not the most important thing about her life. After her performance she was interviewed by NBC and she barely talked about her her skating:

"Going into this free skate, I have this new dress I was very excited to share on the big stage, and I'm very happy with how I skated.

"I had dinner with (my family) last night and that was unbelievable. But another unbelievable feeling was just when I was skating. When I was skating, hearing the cheers, I felt so connected with this audience. I want to be out there again.

"All I want in my life is human connection and, damn, now I am connected with a hell of a ton of people (laughs)."

Life is more than the medals

For Liu, this journey back to the ice after her brief retirement in 2022 wasn't about the hardware. As she told reporters while her gold medal hung around her neck: "I don't need this... what I needed was the stage."

She leaves Milan with two gold medals—one from the team event and this historic individual title—and a reminder to all of us that the best performances happen when you’re truly having fun.

As she told reporters after winning gold, "I choose to be here ... I love that I was able to come back and choose my own destiny."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

2026 Olympics: Alysa Liu in position to medal in figure skating

Californian Alysa Liu skated a clean short program Tuesday at the Olympcs

Alysa Liu sits in third place after a stellar short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, keeping American medal hopes alive on a night of mixed results for Team USA.

Skating to Laufey’s "Promise," the 20-year-old reigning world champion posted a season-high 76.59, trailing only Japan’s Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto.

“I am really happy about how I skated,” Liu told NBC. “I'm really glad I did super well. I felt super grounded, and I connected with my program on another level compared to the rest of the season.”

Liu, raised in Richmond, California, executed the most difficult jumping sequence of the night, a triple Lutz-triple loop combination.

While Liu delivered the "cleanest" performance of her season, she faces a narrow climb to the top of the podium. Finishing ahead of Liu is 17-year-old breakout star Ami Nakai (Japan) leads the field with a 78.71 after landing a massive triple Axel in her Olympic debut; and three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto (Japan) in second with 77.23, just 0.64 points ahead of Liu.

RELATED:

• Asian American Olympians honor immigrant parents
• Asian American skaters key to Team USA gold medal
• 14 Asian American athletes to follow at the 2026 Olympics
• 'Snow Princess' wins a silver medal for China
• Judging controversy tarnishes ice dancing medals
• Chloe Kim offers life lessons after winning a silver medal
• Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu divide the Chinese American community
• Eileen Gu wins sescond silver for China

Aksed if she could catch up to the Japanese skaters, Liu told NBC: “Whether I beat them or not is not my goal. My goal is just to do my programs and share my story. And I don't need to, I guess, be over or under anyone to do that.”

Since her return from a brief retirement, the reigning world champion Liu has been praised for her "creative expression," moving away from traditional scores toward more contemporary, edgy music like her current short program.

Liu is the lone "Blade Angel" in the top five. Teammates Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn finished in eighth and 13th place, respectively, after US champion Glenn suffered a costly error on her triple loop.

The women’s individual competition concludes with the free skate final on Thursday, February 19, where Liu will look to become the first American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in 20 years.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

2026 Olympics: Skater Alyssa Liu and skier Eileen Gu divide the Chinese American community

Two Chinese American daughters of the San Francisco Bay Area are in the Olympics: Eileen Gu, left, competes for the Peoples Republic of China and the United States' Alysa Liu.

In the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area—a place where identity is as layered as the fog rolling over the Golden Gate—two young women were born into a world of complex heritage and shifting loyalties. As the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics unfold, Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu have become the mirror images of a community’s deepest fractures.

The two young women are roughly the same age, both products of elite Northern California environments, and both balancing the rigors of American higher education. Yet, on the world’s biggest stage, their paths have diverged in ways that put Chinese Americans in a quandary: Who do we claim as our own?

On one hand, Alysa Liu  represents the United States. Born in Clovis, Calif. and raised in the East Bay, she was homeschooled in her high school years and attends the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Liu is the daughter of a political refugee who fled China following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Her story is the classic American immigrant arc—one of seeking freedom and finding gold. 

On February 8, she helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in the figure skating team event, a triumphant return after a two-year break from the sport.

RELATED:

• Asian American Olympians honor immigrant parents
• Asian American skaters key to Team USA gold medal
• 14 Asian American athletes to follow at the 2026 Olympics
• 'Snow Princess' wins a silver medal for China
• Judging controversy tarnishes ice dancing medals
• Chloe Kim offers life lessons after winning a silver medal

On the other hand, Eileen Gu competes for the People's Republic of China. A San Francisco native, she attended a private high school and attends Stanford University, the same school attended by her Chinese-born mother, reportedly a venture capitalist. Gu spent summers in Beijing and speaks fluent Mandarin with a local accent. In 2019, she made the controversial choice to represent China, citing a desire to inspire young girls in her mother's homeland. 

On February 9, she secured a silver medal in the freestyle skiing slopestyle final for China, missing gold by a mere 0.38 points.

Gu is reportedly the richest athlete competing in the Winter Games. Newsweek reports her net worth at $50 million,the majority gained through modeling and endorsements, not prize money.

A community divided by choice

For many in the Chinese American community, these athletes aren't just competitors; they are "opposing archetypes" in a narrative they didn't write. 

In some circles, it is simple, it is The "Patriot" vs. The "Mercenary." Political commentators have been quick to weaponize their choices. Liu is often championed as a symbol of American values, while Gu faces labels of "traitor" or "mercenary" for representing a geopolitical rival while benefiting from American training and sponsorships.

However, in real life, the reality of duality makes the choice more complicated. Despite the backlash, Gu’s famous refrain—“When I’m in the US, I’m American; when I’m in China, I’m Chinese”—strikes a chord with those who live a hyphenated existence. They see her not as a defector, but as someone navigating the "messy middle" of a two-power world.

The comparison between the two has sparked fierce commentary on social media widening the everpresent gap between pro-PRC segments and democracy advocates; Alysa cast as a free spirit and Gu as an ungrateful elitist. 

"All of this frames how the media and the public make sense of Liu and Gu, who have been cast as the good and bad immigrant respectively," Professor Richard King of Columbia College Chicago told the BBC.

View from the edge

Though they represent different flags, their lives share a striking rhythm. Both are navigating the pressures of Gen Z stardom, balancing exams with Olympic podiums, and dealing with the weight of two cultures on their shoulders.

FYI: Alysa Liu is back on the ice for Women's Short Program on February 17. Gu will have the big air final on Monday, followed by the halfpipe qualifiers on Thursday, with the final coming Saturday.

They have never met, yet they share a specialized SF Bay Area upbringing that few others can understand. In a different world— one less dominated by "Great Power Competition"— they might have been friends, two California girls sharing boba and talking smack about their rival schools, discussing the impossible pressure of being everything to everyone. Instead, they remain the two poles of a community searching for its place on the edge of two worlds.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

2026 Olympics: Five Asian American figure skaters make US Olympic team bringing total of 14 AAPI going to the Games

Evan Bates and Madison Chock have gold medal hopes.

UPDATED: Jan 20 to include the three speed skaters on the US Olympic team; and Feb. 1 to include alpine skiier Tallulah Prouix; and Feb. 9 to add Bea Kim.

The United States figure skating team for the 2026 Olympics was announced January 11 after the US Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis.

Five Asian Americans will be part of 16-member 2026 US Olympic team hoping to earn Olympic medals at the Winter Games that will be held in Milan-Cortina, Italy beginning Feb. 6.

The Asian Americans on the team are:

Alysa Liu, who retired after the 2022 Beijing games is in her secong Olympics. Last year the California-born UCLA student returned to world of the competitive sport and is the reigning World Champion. However, at the US championships, she finished second behind veteran Amber Glenn and ahead of Isabeau Levito.

As one of the best known skaters on the team and not lacking in confidence, the 20-year old said: "Well I'm not the youngest this time," Liu joked after the event. "I'm feeling older... not really, I'm really, really good!"

FYI: For more information on the full US Olympic figure skating team, you can visit the official U.S. Figure Skating website or the NBC Olympics site.

Hawaii-born Madison Chock is teaming up with her husband and long-time partner Evan Bates to compete in ice-dance competition.

After winning their record-setting seventh national title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on January 10, 2026m Chock and Bates are among the favorites to win the elusive Gold Medal. It will be her fourth Olympics and Bates' fifth and won a bronze medal in Beijing.

"We are so excited," says Chock. "The Olympics definitely never loses its luster. I'm just as excited as I was the first we made the team. It's such an honor to be a part of Team USA and represent our country and U.S. Figure Skating at the Olympics. I feel so grateful to be part of this team. All of the people on the team are so incredible, so special and so talented."

Kam and O'Shea

Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea  are perhaps the sleeper of the Games. Together only two years, the pair went on to do well in international competitions. after her initial partner left, O'Shea stepped in. Together they earned a gold medal in the US championships.

She was born on Yokota Air Base in Western Tokyo to a mom who was a competitive runner representing Japan and a dad who was a surgeon in the US Air Force.

Kam's original partner left her two years ago and O'Shea, 33, had retired years earlier and was acting as a coach. When Kam needed a partner for practice, O'Shea stepped in. The chemistry was good and they went on to compete as a team.

Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe are the second pair for Team USA. Although they finished fourth at the 2026 US Championships, the gold medalists (Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov) and bronze medalists (Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman) were ineligible due to not having US citizenship, which made Chan and Howe the second eligible American pair selected for the Olympic team based on a committee decision.

"[Asian Pacific American Heritage Month] means connecting with your roots. It's a blessing for me to have Japanese heritage," says Howe, who is learning to speak Japanese.

US SKATE

Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe will be competing in their first Olympics.

"This month is important because it emphasizes the importance of embracing Asian culture and background and encourages people to also understand and be curious about their identities," Chan said. "My family is a mix of different Asian cultures, so I'm always learning who I am in that combination."

At the 2022 Winter Games, the US figure skating team also had five AAPI athletes represeinting the US. Except for Nathan Chen, no one won a gold medal.

Nathan Chen, who is the reigning Olympic gold medalist in men's singles, decided to not compete this year after an injury and instead, focus on his medical studies at Yale.

Despite Chen's absence, the US has a good chance to capture the men's gold medal again. Ilia Malinin, AKS the "Quad God," is one of the finest skaters in the world today.

Other AAPI athletes in the 2026 Winter Games:

Olympic hero Chloe Kim is back.

Snowboard Half-pipe

Chloe Kim has already qualified for the US Olympic team for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. She secured her spot in May 2025 by winning the 2025 World Championships and ranking as the top American in the top three on the World Snowboard Points List.

Kim will be competing in her third consecutive Olympic Games, having previously won gold medals in the halfpipe in PyeongChang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022. She is aiming to become the first woman to win three consecutive Olympic halfpipe gold medals.

Another teammate, Bea Kim,  (no relation)18, from Palos Verdes, California, will be making her Olympic debut in the half-pipe.

"The Olympics are more than just sport. They represent global unity and peace," wrote the 18-year-old Bea Kim in a social media post on Sunday. "Diversity is what makes the United States so special. It is woven into the very fabric of our country."

Snowboard Sloopestyle

Hailey Langland has been nominated to the 2025-2026 US Snowboard Team, making her a strong prospect to compete for a spot in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. The official US Olympic team selections for the 2026 Games are currently underway during the 2025-2026 season.

Filipino American Langland is a two-time Olympian and a key member of the US women's pro slopestyle team. After sitting out the 2024-25 season due to injury, she has returned to the World Cup circuit for the current Olympic qualifying season and recently secured a second-place finish at a US Grand Prix event in October 2025.

Former track athlete Mystique Ro will compete in the skelton

Skelton

Mystique Ro, a Korean American, will compete in her first Olympics realizing a dream. In high school and college, she competed as a track athlete. After she ipeaked out as a hurdler, she transferred her skills to a new sport: Women's Skeleton and the newly added Skeleton Mixed Team Relay, where she and partner Austin Florian are reigning World Champions, aimisto bring Team USA its first skeleton gold in over two decades.

"I'm one of 11 children nd I’m the second oldest." said the 31-year old Ro, who was born in California and raised in Virginia. "A sport was my outlet to be more individualistic – to be myself."

Speed Skating

Brandon Kim: A first-time Olympian, he qualified as a national champion and world cup medalist, balancing training with studies at Stanford.

Eunice Lee: Heading to her second Olympics, Lee is a relay silver medalist from the 2025 World Championships, representing Washington state.

Andrew Heo: Also a second-time Olympian, Heo brings a bronze medal from the 2024 World Championships and recent World Tour success.

Free Ski

Although born in San Francisco, CA., Stanford student Eileen Gu will compete for the People's Republic of China again.

In 2019, Gu committed to representing China in international competitions with the desire to develop a deeper connection to her heritage and inspire young Chinese athletes.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Gu became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at the entire event, securing gold in Big Air, gold in Halfpipe, and silver in Slopestyle.

Alpine Ski

Born in Berkeley, California, Tallulah Proulx is a 17-year-old alpine skier who made history in January by becoming the first female and the youngest athlete from the Philippines to qualify for the Winter Olympics. She moved to Park City, Utah, to attend the Rowmark Ski Academy at Rowland Hall, where she trains up to six days a week. She will compete in the Women's Slalom and Giant Slalom.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

2026 Olympics: '60 Minutes' interviews Olympic hopeful Alysa Liu

The Chinese American skater is back and looking forward to this year's Winter Olympics.

Alysa Liu, the skating star, is the United States favorite to win a Gold Medal in Women's singles skate, a feat that hasn't happened in decades.

After "retiring" as a teenager, Liu says her "second act" in the sport shifted to a more mature approach - one in which she was in more control and one she takes more joy.

“I get to pick my own programme music. I get to help with the creative process of the programme. If I feel like I’m skating too much, I’ll back down,” she explained in the "60 Minutes" Sunday, Jan. 4.

“If I feel like I’m not skating enough I’ll ramp it up. No one’s going to starve me or tell me what I can or can’t eat.”

Watch the interview, here:

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

Ice skater Alyssa Liu's trimphant return to the rink garners a gold medal

Alysa Liu couldn't believe her own performance at the World's Skating Championship.

At the ripe, old age of 19, ice skater Alysa Liu came out of retirement. On Friday, she won the gold medal at the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

"This means so much to me after everything that I've been through," Liu said at the press conference after her championship performance Friday in Boston. "My last skating experience, my time away... and (now) this time around. I'm so happy... I'm mostly glad that I could put out two of my best performances."

After two years away from the sport, Liu became the first US woman to win a world title in 19 years.

After finished seventh at the 2022 Winter Olympics in in Beijing, the best finish of the the three US women, followed by a bronze at World's, the then-16-year old surprised everyon by announcing she decided to hang up her skates.

Up until then, she was on the brightest stars in the US. She expected to compete for the gold medal after beicoming the yuongest woman to win the US championship title when she was 13. A year later, she was the first American to do the quadruple jump.

When she made her retirement announcement, Liu, who had been skating since age 5 and trained in Oakland, Calif., said that she had reached all of her skating goals and was ready to move with her life.

Before enrolling at UCLA as a freshman, a ski tirp to Lake Tahoe sparked the realization that she loved being an athlete. From there, a few calls to former coaches and she began her journey to get back into competition shape.

FYI: US ice dance team capture gold medal

“Moments like these make me realize 16-year-old me was so right,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t decide to retire for a little bit. So I’m glad that I listened to myself.”

With her victory at Worlds, Liu joins the elite company of American women who have won the world title, including Tenley Albright, Carol Heiss, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Linda Fratianne, Elaine Zayak, Rosalynn Sumners, Jill Trenary, Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan, Tara Lipinski and Kimmie Meissner.

With the gold medal in her pocket, Liu has set herself up for the Olympics that will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy in 2026.

Her performance in the long skate was nearly flawless using seven triple jumps to cement her victory. After her skate, she couldn't believe her accomplishment, ecclaiming, "What the hell!" repeatedly all the way back to her coaches.

“That was the best performance I’ve laid down all season, even my practice programs have not been that good,” she treporters after her winning performance. “I really thought if I did clean skates I’d be hopefully top 10, definitely not first. This moment is so unreal, that’s the only word I can use to describe it. I still have to process it to be honest.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge.

U.S. figure skating star announces her retirement

Alysa Liu is retiring from competitive figure skating.

Two weeks after winning a bronze medal in the World Figure Skating Championship, ALysa Liu, one of the U.S.'s brightest figure skating stars, has decided to hang up her skates and announced she is  "going to be moving on with my life."

At just 16 years of age, it was widely believed that she would be one of the U.S.'s highest hopes for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Instead, the Richmond, California youngster surprised the figure skating world when she announced Saturday via social media that she is "satisfied" with her skating career and would retire to study and become a regular teenager.

"Heyyyyy so I'm here to announce that I am retiring from skating," she wrote ion her Instagram account.

"I started skating when I was 5 so that's about 11 years on the ice and it's been an insane 11 years. A lot of good and a lot of bad but yk [you know] that's just how it is. I've made so many friends, and so so sooo many good memories that I'll have for the rest of my life," she continued.

"I honestly never thought I would've accomplished as much as I did LMAOO I'm so happy. I feel so satisfied with how my skating career has gone. Now that I'm finally done with my goals in skating I'm going to be moving on with my life."

Liu's retirement comes after her father revealed last month that she had been embroiled in an apparent Chinese spying scandal. However, there is no indication if her retirement is linked her father's political activism. He left China in 1989 after taking part in the Tianamen Square protests and subsequent massacre of the protestors by the Chinese government.

Liu's retirement comes under a month after her father revealed that she had been embroiled in an apparent Chinese spying scandal in which the Chinese government was accused of trying to intimidate Chinese dissidents living in the U.S. Arthur Liu was informed by the FBI prior to the Beijing Olympics that he was one of the people targeted by China.

During the Winter Games held in Beijing last February, Alysa Liu was provided with protection by the U.S. government because of the spying allegations.

During her career, Liu won two senior U.S. national championship titles, becoming the youngest athlete to win the women's crown when she did so in 2019 when she was just 13. She retained her title in 2020, prior to the pandemic, which – coupled with injuries and a growth spurt – slowed Liu down.

She won Team USA an additional Olympic spot for Beijing 2022 at the Nebelhorn Trophy last October and, although she had to withdraw from the 2022 nationals after contracting Covid, was named to the Olympic squad.

Liu finished seventh in Beijing, opting against attempting the triple Axel or any quadruple jumps, which she had previously landed in Junior Grand Prix competition. The full results of the women's singles event in Beijing remain provisional depending on the outcome of the World Skating Federation on the Russian woman skater using illegal performance enhancing drugs.

Her final competition was the World Championships last month in Montpellier, France, where she improved from fifth after the short program to win bronze.

Speaking after that medal, Liu said of the past two years: "I lost a lot of my motivation. I was barely going to the rink, not doing off-ice [workouts]. Then I grew a lot and got injured quite a bit. I had an on-and-off injury and that really slowed me down. Honestly, I have no idea how I got my motivation back and got to this point."

This season was Liu's first year at the senior level. She previously won two ISU Challenger Series golds, two ISU Junior Grand Prix golds, a Junior Grand Prix Final silver, and a World Junior Championships bronze medal.

"this skating thing has taught me a lot more about life than i anticipated," Liu concluded her lengthy explanation on social media.

"i’m really glad i skated."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Olympics 2022: US figure skaters do their best but fail to medal

US figure skaters, from left, Karen Chen, Mariah Bell and Alysa Liu.

Updated Feb. 18.

American figure skaters Alysa Liu and Mariah Bell had impressive performances on Thursday (Feb. 17) evening but wound up in 7th and 10th place respectively.

The American figure skaters each put out performances to remember at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 but it was not enough to overtake the leaders. 

Alysa, from Richmond, Calif., was even in the lead for a while after 19 skaters had performed. However, after the final group performed their routines, she ended up in seventh place.

“I’m just really glad that all my training paid off because I’m here competing,” Liu told NBC. “And the goal of my whole life and my skating career was to compete at the Olympics. So now I can officially say I’m an Olympian.”

The women's competition was eventually won by Russian skater and World Champion Anna Shcherbakova. Another Russian, Alexandra Trusova won the silver and Japan's Kaori Sakamoto took bronze.

The skater expected to win it all, and the most controversial, 15-year old Kamila Valieva, fell during her free skate routine dropping Russia's top skater to fourth place and off the medal podium.

Kamila is at the center of controversy after test results showed that she had taken a banned drug before the Olympics. Her performance in the team competition vaulted the Russian team to first place but since the drug test results were discovered, the final results of the team competition remains up in the air.

Despite the controversial drug test results, the Russian teenager was allowed to compete in the individual skating competition. After the short program Tuesday, she was in first place.

Alysa Liu led the U.S. figure skaters finishin in 7th place.

Sixteen-year-old, Alysa was the US champion in 2019 and 2020 - her first title making her the youngest American ever to win a national title - at age 13. At age 16 years, she is the youngest member (in any sport) sent to Beijing by Team USA.

The California teen opened her "Violin Concerto in D" free skate with a triple Axel attempt, landing the jump but having it downgraded as she finished her rotation on the ice. She would score a 139.45 in the segment. Added to the score from her short program, her final score totaled 208.95.

Gone are the difficult quads that gave Alysa the US championships. She was the only US woman to perform the judge-pleasing four-revolution jumps.

“It was a lot easier when I was smaller, and a lot shorter,” said Liu, who stands approximately 5 feet, 2 inches. “It’s just been harder. Especially when COVID hit, I couldn’t train it as much. I stopped training it for a period. So, there was a lot of other factors, but definitely puberty (was one factor).”

“I’m so happy with two clean programs,” Liu said. “It’s better than I ever thought I would do at the Olympics, and I’m really happy about it.”

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Prior to Liu's skate, Bell, 25, performed her routine to "Hallelujah" earning her a 136.92 total. Her combined score of 202.30 left her in tenth place.

Liu was in eighth place after the women's short program, while Bell sat  at 11th.

Karen Chen, 22, finished her routine after falling during her routine.

Earlier, their American teammate Karen Chen, from Fremont, Calif., struggled in her free skate, her total score registering a 179.93 that gave her the 16th spot.

“It’s incredible to just know that I’ve made it here,” Chen said. “It did not go the way I wanted to, but I also had my moment in the team event, too. So, there are a lot of positive things to look at.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.