Winter Olympics 2026 : Alysa Liu is the Olympic champion in women’s figure skating at the 2026 Olympics, winning the gold medal on February 19, 2026, at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Alysa Liu’s victory is widely regarded as a comeback victory, as the athlete had retired from competitive figure skating at the tender age of 16 in 2022 and had come back to the sport in 2024, deciding to compete “on her own terms.”
As Alysa Liu has many reasons to smile at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The American figure skater has already won a team gold medal and has now won an even bigger prize: Olympic gold in women’s singles, the first time in 24 years for the United States.
While accepting her gold medal and giving interviews, Alysa Liu also caught fans' attention for something unusual about her smile. The braces on her front teeth that fans noticed were actually a smiley face piercing, a very personal and daring choice that has already become part of her Olympic persona.
What Is on Alysa Liu’s Teeth? Inside Her ‘Smiley’ Piercing
It did not take long for fans to notice a silver flash when Liu smiled during the Olympics. The skater has a smiley piercing, also known as a frenulum piercing, located in the tissue connecting the upper lip to the gums.
“I pierced them a little over two years ago now,” she told TMJ4 News. Unlike most people who get their body pierced, Liu did not go to a professional studio. She did it herself. “I had my sister hold up my lip and I was looking in the mirror,” she said. “I had my piercing needle and then yeah, I just put it through!”
Who is Alysa Liu?
Alysa Liu was born on August 8, 2005, in Clovis, California. She was born via surrogacy and showed extraordinary talent at a very young age. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she grew up in a household that encouraged discipline and ambition.
In 2019, Liu made history at the age of 13 years old, becoming the youngest figure skater to win the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, breaking a record that had been standing for many years, previously held by Tara Lipinski. She went to Chinese school before attending the Oakland School for the Arts and later homeschooled due to her rigorous training schedule and extensive travel.
Alysa Liu Delivers Near-Perfect Free Skate to Make History
A full packed crowd at the Milano Ice Skating Arena saw a momentous occasion on Thursday night as Liu put in a nearly flawless free skate performance at the Milan-Cortina Games. Her routine scored 226.79 points, putting her at the top of the list, ahead of Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai, who took home the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
This win marked the first women’s singles figure skating gold medal for Team USA since 2002. Liu’s routine was exemplary in terms of precision and confidence, from the first triple flip to the final combination sequence.
In 2025, Liu had already made history by taking home the World Figure Skating Championship, the first American woman to do so since 2006. Her Olympic win solidified her position at the top of the sport.
Alysa Liu Net Worth
Alysa Liu’s estimated net worth is approximately $500,000, which has been accumulated from cash prizes, sponsorships, and endorsement deals. In Indian rupees, this is equivalent to around ₹4.1 crores. After her victory in the Olympic gold medal, it is likely that her market value and endorsement deals will increase substantially in the coming years.
Alysa Liu’s Family Background
Alysa Liu is the eldest of five children raised by her father, Arthur Liu, a lawyer who emigrated to the United States after fleeing China as a political refugee following pro-democracy demonstrations around the time of Tiananmen Square.
Alysa Liu Father
Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu has a unique family background and was mainly raised by her father, Arthur Liu. Arthur is a Chinese immigrant and an attorney practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area. He left China at the age of 25 after participating in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and established a successful legal career in the United States, founding the Inter-Pacific Law Group Inc.
Arthur Liu was instrumental in Alysa’s skating career, carefully overseeing her training and reportedly investing between $500,000 and $1 million in her skating development, coaching, and international travel to help her attain Olympic caliber. Alysa Liu and her brothers were born through surrogacy with an anonymous egg donor. Arthur Liu’s ex-wife, Mary, is the legal guardian of the children.
Alysa Liu Retirement and Comeback Story
In April 2022, Alysa Liu stunned the figure skating community with her announcement that she would be retiring at the tender age of 16. At the time, she explained that she wanted to have a normal life, explore college, and move away from the extreme pressure of elite-level skating.
During her hiatus, Alysa Liu traveled the world, went on road trips with friends, and even hiked to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal, as reported by Celebrity Net Worth. She had never lived without a rigorous training regimen in her entire life.
Two years later, she came back to competitive skating refreshed, inspired, and more powerful than ever, which directly contributed to her Olympic success.
