Hair stylists across the globe should get their dye bottles prepared. Everyone will desire the Alysa halo.
With her distinctive ring hairstyle fully on display, Alysa Liu is the new Olympic women’s skating champion. Even Liu herself couldn’t have foreseen this outcome when she retired from competitive skating at 16 and then decided to come back two years later.
Liu withstood an onslaught from three strong Japanese skaters, including 2022 silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto, whose error in a jump combination cost her points. New Japanese talent Ami Nakai landed a triple axel and the same number of triple jumps as Liu, but couldn’t surpass Liu’s triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, which scored higher than the triple axel.
Liu’s victory is a triumph not only for powerful skating. Her comeback is a statement regarding autonomy and the significance of ensuring that women—and, in sports like figure skating, girls—are listened to. In returning to competitive skating, Liu made it clear to her coaches and her family that she, and no one else, would make all the decisions about her career—how much she trained, when she trained, even what she ate and what she wore. Teammate Amber Glenn said that Liu’s perspective on the sport is a healthy one that other skaters should imitate—one that focuses on the joy in the sport rather than the pressure and the competitiveness.
When asked after making the Olympic team whether she would feel pressure as a returning Olympian, Liu seemed confused. “I don’t think anything will be difficult about the Olympics,” she said. “What’s there to lose? Every second you’re there, you’re gaining something.” In her case, that includes a shiny new gold medal.