Alysa Liu: Homeschooled Olympic Figure Skater

Image by YantsImages via Wikimedia Commons

Gold medalist Alysa Liu of Team United States poses for a photo during the medal ceremony for the Women’s Single Skating Free Skating at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 19, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

Alysa Liu is an American figure skater and one of the most accomplished athletes of her generation. Growing up in Richmond, California, she rose to prominence as a child prodigy and has since become a two‑time Olympian and a 2026 Olympic gold medalist.

Alysa’s father, Arthur Liu, was forced to flee his home country of China due to his involvement in the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests. He settled in the Bay Area, earned a law degree from the University of California, and founded Inter-Pacific Law Group Inc., establishing himself as an immigration attorney.

A single dad by choice, Arthur Liu brought Alysa into the world via a surrogate. She was born on August 8, 2005, in Clovis, California. Arthur has four younger children in addition to Alysa — Selena and triplets Julia, Justin and Joshua. Arthur’s mother, Shu, moved from China to California to help raise the children during their early years.

Inspired by legends Michelle Kwan and Kristi Yamaguchi, Arthur introduced Alysa to figure skating in 2010 when she was just five years old, at the Oakland Ice Center. Her dad simply wanted her to try skating, and she took to it quickly, starting with that first visit to the rink.

Early Training

With a father deeply invested in her opportunities, Alysa had consistent access to training and encouragement. Her talent was immediately obvious to coaches, who noticed her eagerness to learn and her unusually fast progression. Arthur became heavily involved in his daughter’s skating career, pouring many thousands of dollars into her training and taking her all over the world to compete and receive the best coaching.

Liu was drilling the mechanics of rotation at 8-10 years old, when her body was still small, light, and naturally fast in the air. This early start meant that she developed air awareness and rotation techniques that became instinctive rather than learned later.

Alysa hit her technical milestones early and became the youngest female ever to land a triple Axel at age 12. She was also landing quads at age 13. Most skaters don’t touch triple Axels or quads until their mid‑teens.

It helped that the coach she trained with was a specialist in jump mechanics, and Liu also happened to like jumps better than spins. “They’re harder than jumps for me actually because you have to stretch and stretching really isn’t my thing,” said Alysa.

Liu’s early training gave her the confidence and technical ability to keep developing her skills as she matured. Moreover, she genuinely enjoyed trying hard jumps and didn’t get discouraged by falling.

In 2019, Alysa Liu earned the title of the youngest U.S. figure skating national champion in history, winning the title at age 13. She was the first American woman to land three triple axels, and she’s also the first U.S. female figure skater to land a quadruple jump in international competition.

Homeschool Education

Alysa Liu did not follow a traditional full‑time in‑person school path, as much of her education revolved around her training schedule.

“I started when I was 5 and I basically didn’t stop until 16, and I was homeschooled my whole life,” Liu told NBC News. “I’m a very social person. I crave human connection. And I was living by myself for many years, no family, no friends around, all for the sake of training.”

Alysa lived and trained in the Bay Area, and her schooling during this period had to be flexible to accommodate travel and competition. “I skated every day when I was 13 and 14, so it was a very abnormal childhood,” she said.

Liu had attended Chinese school for three years before transferring to Oakland School for the Arts which, at the time, offered a figure skating program. When Alysa started missing too many classes for elite‑level training demands and travel to competitions, she enrolled in California Connections Academy and began homeschooling at her father’s law office in between practices.

“It’s quiet most of the time,” she said of the law office. “There is nobody trying to disturb me so I can focus on my work. Sometimes it can get a little difficult when I am having trouble and he’s with clients and I really need him.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when ice rinks shut down and the Olympics were postponed, Alysa enjoyed the break from skating. She loved being able to spend more time with her family.

In 2020, Liu started limiting her social media use because she found it to be not really worth it, as she didn’t see a need to seek outside approval and she wanted to concentrate on her training. “I used to like (social media) a lot but not so much anymore,” she told U.S. Figure Skating. “Social media is exhausting.”

Liu graduated from high school in June 2021 at age 15. She told Elle in an interview, “I graduated high school at 15, because everyone wanted me to graduate a year before the Olympics, so for a year I could just focus on training.”

Liu is currently a student majoring in psychology at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles).

Olympic Career

Liu made her Olympic debut in 2022 in Beijing. She was only 16 years old at her first Olympics, and she did so well that she came in 7th place.

Despite her success, Liu decided to take a break from competitive skating after that, citing a desire for more personal time. “I was a kid,” she remembered, “and I didn’t want to be at the rink all day, every day.”

When Liu stepped outside of her “bubble,” as she called it, and had a chance to be a normal teenager, she realized that she also enjoyed other sports. Now, she said, “I play a lot of volleyball, tennis and basketball.”

During her two-year hiatus from skating, she also had more time to partake in hobbies she enjoys, like photography and travel. She went on lots of road trips and “climbed to the top of Mount Everest base camp (17,000+ ft above sea level) with friends,” the Team USA website explains.

Liu also found different outlets for her creativity. Alysa said, “I love costume design, and I love the arts. I’m kind of a DIYer. I love working with colors and patterns and incorporating them into whatever ways I can: my hair, my clothing. I like to see my artistic visions come to light.”

Two years after announcing her retirement, Liu made the decision to return to figure skating during a skiing trip, inspired by the ice and cold. This time she came back on her own terms with renewed faith in herself, even choosing her own music and costumes. She made a remarkable comeback, winning the 2025 World Championships.

In February of this year, Liu won gold in women’s singles at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, becoming the first American woman to do so in 24 years. Her performance was celebrated for both its technical difficulty and expressive artistry.

Liu is known not just for her athleticism but for her joyful, carefree presence on the ice and her creative approach to skating. She also stands out for her bold, expressive personal style—like the oral frenulum piercing that can be seen when she smiles, and her trademark striped bleached hair—which has become part of her identity and a symbol of Gen‑Z self‑expression in figure skating.

Liu’s journey from homeschooler to Olympic figure skater is a testament to her dedication and resilience. Being a successful figure skater takes a great amount of time and effort. But these days, Liu doesn’t stress over skating, she just does what she loves with a relaxed style and joyful attitude. She revealed, “I go with the flow, I take it day by day, and I stay connected to what I love, but I don’t attach myself to it.”

“I don’t fit my life into skating — I fit skating into my life.”

Olympic Experience:

2-time Olympian; 2-time Olympic medalist (2 Gold)
- Olympic Games Milan 2026, Gold (Singles – Women, Team – Mixed)
- Olympic Games Beijing 2022, 7th (Singles – Women)

World Championships Experience: