There are wins and performances that linger—and that’s exactly what American figure skater Alysa Liu accomplished at last month’s Winter Olympics. The 20-year-old took home two gold medals at the Milan Games—the women’s singles and the team event.
Her success is not a typical story. She returned to the Olympics after a brief period of retirement, saying she was already satisfied with what she had accomplished. She made the announcement in 2022, a decision motivated by her desire to gain experiences outside of figure skating, which she had been doing since childhood.
She came back in 2024, this time with a different perspective as an athlete. She also ensured that she had more say over her diet and was given artistic freedom in her performances.
Liu returned with a bang. She won the World Championships and cemented her own brand of success at the Olympics.
Her success has made people rethink the meaning of hard work and the definition of success—something she is now advocating through a partnership with the popular athletic brand Nike.
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In an interview with Nike, she explained how she insisted on working on her own terms. She did not let others dictate her diet, her hair, her music, and more. She also offered advice for aspiring young athletes on how to manage high expectations.
She also credited being surrounded by the right people who allow her to define success on her own terms.
"For me, it’s about being with the people I love, making memories with them and spending time together. It’s about having new experiences and just living," she said.
"The mantra I keep coming back to is YOLO. It’s cliché — but you really only live once. So you have to make the most of it for yourself."
Liu posted a preview of the interview on her Instagram account, and while some people previously criticized the 20-year-old for being too progressive, the Olympics itself validated her mantra.
"An ICON," the Olympics account wrote in the comments section.
Nike Women echoed the same sentiment.
What makes the pre-2022 Alysa Liu different from the post-2025 version? She says it is the freedom she pursued herself.
"I was kind of stuck in the same day over and over again. But if you want a different life, you have to make different choices. I had to switch my inputs to have a different output."
