Olympic figure-skater Alysa Liu reveals surprising sport she’s trying next

Alysa Liu, 20, has become a household name thanks to her incredible run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, winning Gold in the women’s singles figure skating – marking the first women’s figure skating gold in decades – and the team event at the Winter Olympics. 

But now Alysa is back in her hometown of Oakland, near San Francisco, the athlete is considering her next steps. “I heard that surfing was really similar to skating and skiing,” Alysa told People magazine. “In the way that we glide. There’s not many activities in life where you feel the glide, and I recently heard surfing was one of them. So I really want to try that out.”

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There are tons of options for Alysa as surfing near San Francisco is diverse and year-round, beginner-friendly spots like Pacifica (Linda Mar) and Bolinas. A three-hour drive inland would take her to Surf Ranch, Kelly Slater’s immersive complex that offers an inland surfing wave.

Alysa has become an inspiration for many, after she shared details of her decision to retire at the age of 16 in 2022 after burnout. Two years later, Alysa decided she wanted to return after a ski trip reminded her of the feeling she felt on the ice.

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She went on to compete at the 2025 World Championships, where she won gold, shocking the world of ice skating.  But her return came with the caveat that she would have control of her decisions, including shifting her priorities from skating to spending more time with her friends.

“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,” she told AP. “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.”

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Now, post Olympics win, she told Teen Vogue that she will always “[ick hanging out with my friends over a session, and if that makes me a worse skater, so be it”.

“I don’t care. I will jeopardize whatever.” 

“I would’ve been fine either way,” she shared. “I would’ve been loving life outside of skating just as much [as winning gold medals]. But yeah, I’m really happy with how my life is right now.”

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On February 19 when Alysa took home gold, cheering her on from the stands was 90-year-old Tenley Albright, a legend in the sport who won the same prize seven decades ago, and the first American female figure skater to do so. 

Tenley was in Milan at an event held in her honor, celebrating 70 years since her win at the 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics in the Ladies’ Single Skate category, taking home a gold for Team USA.

Other gold medalists Dorothy Hamill, Sara Hughes – who last won for the US in 2002 – and Brian Boitano were also in attendance, plus current Olympian Ilia Malinin