History of Alysa Liu in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: July 16, 2026

Alysa Liu is a prominent American figure skater who made history as the youngest woman to win the U.S. national senior title, achieving the feat at age 13 in 2019. She successfully defended her national title the following year and became the first American woman to land a triple axel and a quadruple jump in the same international competition. A versatile and technically gifted skater, Liu gained significant attention for her rapid ascent in the sport. In 2022, she represented the United States at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, where she earned a seventh-place finish in the women's singles event. Following her Olympic appearance, Liu announced her retirement from competitive figure skating at the age of 16, marking the end of a brief but highly impactful career that helped redefine the technical standards of women's skating in the United States.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1989: Arthur Liu's Exile to the United States

In 1989, Arthur Liu, a Chinese dissident and graduate student, fled China for the United States through Operation Yellowbird following the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square Protests.

2002: Historical Gold Medal Benchmark

The year 2002 is cited as the last time an American woman won an Olympic gold medal in figure skating prior to Alysa Liu's victory in 2026, which was achieved by Sarah Hughes.

August 8, 2005: Birth of Alysa Liu

Alysa Liu was born on August 8, 2005, marking the beginning of the life of the future American figure skating champion.

2006: Historical Comparison Points

The year 2006 serves as a historical benchmark for U.S. women's figure skating, representing the last time Kimmie Meissner won a world title prior to Alysa Liu and the last time Sasha Cohen won an individual Olympic medal before Liu's 2026 performance.

2008: Mirai Nagasu Junior and Senior Achievement

In 2008, Mirai Nagasu became the last woman to win both junior and senior national titles in back-to-back years, a feat Alysa Liu matched in 2020.

2012: Ashley Wagner National Title Win

In 2012, Ashley Wagner began a streak of consecutive U.S. women's national titles, an achievement that Liu would later emulate in 2020.

2013: Karen Chen and Polina Edmunds Qualify for Junior Grand Prix Final

In 2013, American figure skaters Karen Chen and Polina Edmunds achieved the milestone of qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix Final, a feat that would later be replicated by Alysa Liu years afterward.

2013: Ashley Wagner Consecutive Title Win

In 2013, Ashley Wagner secured her second consecutive U.S. national title, marking the last time this feat was accomplished prior to Liu's 2020 win.

2013: Polina Edmunds' Junior Grand Prix Victory

In 2013, Polina Edmunds became the last American skater to secure a victory at a Junior Grand Prix event prior to Alysa Liu's subsequent success in the competition.

2015: Central Pacific Regionals Juvenile Performance

In 2015, while competing at the juvenile level, Alysa Liu achieved a seventh-place finish at the Central Pacific Regionals.

2016: U.S. Championships Intermediate Gold Medal

At the 2016 U.S. Championships, 10-year-old Alysa Liu made history by becoming the youngest female skater to win the intermediate gold medal, securing victory by a narrow margin of less than one point.

2017: 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Novice Debut

During the 2017 U.S. Championships, Alysa Liu competed in the novice category and secured a fourth-place finish. Although she led the competition after the short program, which featured a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination and a triple flip, she ultimately dropped to fourth place following the long program despite successfully landing two triple-triple combinations.

2017: 2017 Asian Open Trophy Silver Medal

In 2017, Alysa Liu began her season by competing at the Asian Open Trophy, where she secured a silver medal, finishing behind Japanese skater Mana Kawabe.

August 2018: Gold Medal Victory at 2018 Asian Open Trophy

In August 2018, Alysa Liu won the gold medal in the novice division at the 2018 Asian Open Trophy held in Bangkok, Thailand. During the competition, she made history as the youngest skater to land a ratified triple Axel in a competitive event, joining a select group of American female skaters to achieve this feat.

2018: U.S. Junior National Champion

In 2018, Alysa Liu reached a significant milestone in her early career by winning the U.S. junior national championship title.

2018: 2018 U.S. Championships and International Challenge Cup Successes

Throughout 2018, Liu achieved notable success despite health challenges; she won the junior division at the 2018 U.S. Championships in San Jose while suffering from a cold and sore throat, and later earned a silver medal in the advanced novice category at the 2018 International Challenge Cup.

August 2019: International Competition Success and Debut

In August 2019, Alysa Liu participated in the inaugural Aurora Games where she led the U.S. team to victory and became the first American female skater to land a quadruple Lutz in competition. During the same month, she made her ISU Junior Grand Prix debut in Lake Placid, setting a new personal best score of 69.30 in her short program while performing to 'Don't Rain on My Parade'.

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2019: Youngest U.S. Women's National Champion

At the age of 13 in 2019, Alysa Liu made history by becoming the youngest person ever to win the U.S. women's national figure skating championship.

2019: 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final Silver Medal

During the 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final, Alysa Liu secured the silver medal overall. In 2019, she initially took the lead in the short program with a triple Axel-triple toe combination, but faced challenges in the free skate where her quadruple Lutzes and a triple Axel were underrotated, leading to a second-place finish behind Kamila Valieva.

2019: Beginning of Collaboration with Massimo Scali

In 2019, Alysa Liu began her professional training relationship with coach Massimo Scali, a partnership that would eventually lead to a wider reorganization of her coaching staff by June 2020.

June 22, 2020: Coaching Change Announcement

On June 22, 2020, Alysa Liu announced that she was transitioning to a new coaching team consisting of Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali. Additionally, she confirmed that she would continue residing in Oakland while collaborating remotely with Canadian coaches Lori Nichol and Lee Barkell through video conferencing and visits to Toronto.

December 2020: Addition of Jeremy Abbott to Coaching Team

In December 2020, figure skater Alysa Liu officially expanded her training staff by recruiting former four-time U.S. men's national champion Jeremy Abbott to join her coaching team.

2020: 2020 World Junior Bronze Medal and Second Senior National Title

In 2020, Alysa Liu achieved the status of World Junior bronze medalist and also became the youngest skater in history to secure two consecutive senior national titles.

2020: 2020 World Junior Championships Participation

In 2020, Alysa Liu competed in her first World Junior Championships where she placed third overall. Despite an initial fourth-place ranking after the short program due to technical issues, she recovered in the long program to achieve a cumulative score of 204.83, successfully executing a variety of triple jumps and high-level spins.

June 2021: High School Graduation

In June 2021, at the age of 15, Alysa Liu successfully graduated from high school after having transitioned to the California Connections Academy homeschooling program.

2022: 2022 World Bronze Medalist

In 2022, Alysa Liu demonstrated her high level of performance by securing a bronze medal at the World Figure Skating Championships.

2023: Enrollment at UCLA

During the fall of 2023, Alysa Liu began her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she is pursuing a degree in psychology.

2025: 2025 World Figure Skating Championship

During the year 2025, Alysa Liu reached the pinnacle of international competition by winning the World championship title.

2025: 2025 World Championships Gold

In 2025, Alysa Liu won a world title at the World Championships, marking the first time a U.S. woman had achieved this feat since Kimmie Meissner in 2006.

2026: 2026 Winter Olympics Victory

At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Alysa Liu became the first American woman to secure an individual medal since 2006 and the first American gold medalist in the event since 2002.