Alysa Liu Featured in Major Announcement as Figure Skating Season Ends

Alysa Liu wrapped up her 2025–26 figure skating season in Milan at the Winter Olympics in February, where she emerged as one of the biggest names in sports during that stretch.

She won two gold medals representing the United States - one in the team event and another in the women's free skate - becoming the first woman to accomplish that since Sarah Hughes in 2002.

Following the Olympics, Liu decided to withdraw from the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechia, opting to take some time off after what was effectively the final event of her season before things ramp back up in the mid-to-late summer.

However, despite being more than a month removed from the last time she competed, she was still part of a major announcement this week.

Liu was named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2026.

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"How can someone be so casual about being the best in the world? That's for Alysa Liu to know and the rest of us to witness in a screaming frenzy," Bowen Yang wrote in his description for Time. "She's flipped her ponytail after finishing a historic program that won her an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. She's shrugged off inane questions while sending a song to the top of the charts. She's somehow made her triumphs feel unsentimental to herself but meaningful to everyone else.

"I felt so many inherited knots of expectation loosening: filial piety, social pressure, unstriped hair. That's what great artists do - they make you reconsider what you've been carrying and invite you to join them in being light on your feet."

Making the list at just 20 years old is remarkable, but Liu's impact has been undeniable. She had fans styling their hair to match hers, and her openness has been another reason she's been so widely embraced since bursting onto the scene as a young teen around 13, briefly retiring, then returning to win multiple gold medals.

She made it clear on multiple occasions - especially after stepping away at 16 - that if she were going to continue skating, it had to be on her own terms, the way she envisioned. By doing that, she not only fell back in love with the sport, but has also reestablished herself as one of its brightest stars.

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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 9:04 AM.