Who is Alysa Liu? Everything about the figure skater as she clinches women's world championship title

Alysa Liu made history by winning the women's world figure skating championship title at TD Garden in Boston on March 28, 2025. It is a massive win for Team USA as it has been almost two decades since an American woman won the world championship, since Kimmie Meissner in 2006. Liu not only made herself proud by bagging the championship title but also her entire country.

The 19-year-old figure skater won the gold medal and proved her exceptional skills by showcasing a fascinating free-skate routine at TD Garden, defeating Kaori Sakamoto, Japan's three-time champion. Japan's Mone Chiba bagged the Bronze medal, followed by Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn, both Americans, taking fourth and fifth place, respectively.

After Liu brought home the gold medal, people became curious to know more about her. So, let's find out who Alysa Liu is.

The world champion had a knack for figure skating since she was quite young. Liu won her first title at the age of just 13 when she became the youngest US women's national champion, and the next year, when she turned 14, she won two senior national titles.

As the old saying goes, hard work pays off. And it surely did for Alysa. She followed her passion and worked hard, as one should, to reach their ultimate goal. Previously, Liu has won titles, including the US National Championship (twice), the 2021 Lombardia Trophy, 2021 Nebelhorn Trophy, and also won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Figure Skating Championship.

At the age of 16, she competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and right after that, she took to Instagram to announce her early retirement in April. The news came as a shock to most people. However, in 2024, Liu approached her long-time coach, Phillip DiGuglielm, and informed him that she wanted to come back and compete again. He tried to talk her out of it and reminded her of other skaters who had done the same earlier. Eventually, they went back to work and began training.

After winning the world championship, when Liu was asked about her journey so far, she made it quite clear that she has no regret of any kind, including her decision to retire. The champion figure skater further added:

"I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t decide to retire for a little bit. So I just am glad that I listen to myself and do whatever. Because it just works out in the end."

A few more details about the 19-year-old gold medalist, Alysa Liu

The winner of the women's world figure skating championship, Alysa Liu, the oldest child of her immigrant father, Arthur Liu, was born in Clovis, California, on August 8, 2025. At the age of 5, Liu began her skating journey. Soon after, she started taking group lessons from Laura Lipetsky, a former professional figure skater.

In 2019, Alysa Liu garnered major attention and significant fame after she became the youngest-ever US Champion at 13. However, after winning the world championship title, she gained worldwide fame. Liu's name was added to the inaugural Time 100 Next list in 2019.