Alysa Liu Indicates Her 2030 Winter Olympics Plan After Gold Medal Finish

At 20 years old, Alysa Liu became a two-time Olympic gold medalist at the Milan Cortina Games. She won the women’s individual event in incredible fashion after already winning gold in the team event.

So, what’s next for Liu?

You wouldn’t think you’d have to ask a 20-year-old this question, but Liu has already retired once from skating. Some worried that she would retire again after her dominant performance in Italy, but it sounds like the American superstar has her sights set on the 2030 French Alps Olympics.

“I have no plans to leave yet,” Liu told NBC ahead of Sunday’s closing ceremony, when asked if she may want to “come back for another one.”

“I can’t imagine not skating next year,” Liu added.

Golden girl Alysa Liu describes the joy she had at the #WinterOlympics and hints at her future plans. 👀 pic.twitter.com/4KM61Z5LOc
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 22, 2026

Phew. It sounds like we’ll get to witness Liu’s greatness for the foreseeable future, and she could look to defend her gold medal win in 2030.

Liu originally stepped away from figure skating at age 16 despite all the success she’d had at that young age. She became the youngest athlete to become the U.S. women’s figure skating champion and was the first American woman to land a quadruple jump. She won another national championship title in 2020 and finished seventh at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. But, at the time, Liu wanted to shift her focus to other aspects of her life.

Liu ended up missing skating. In 2024, she announced her return to the sport at age 18, and she’s been extremely successful ever since. She is the reigning world champion and was the silver medalist at the past two U.S. Championships. Check out Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein’s story on how Liu decided to return to skating on her own terms after a two-year hiatus.

More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated