The rise of Alysa Liu has been nothing short of meteoric.
Before the Winter Olympics, Liu had around 211,000 Instagram followers.
After dazzling the world with her skating and personality, that number exploded to 6.3 million.
Suddenly, the once-lowkey prodigy became one of the most talked-about stars in winter sports, but her story was always bigger than medals.
Raised by a single father who used a surrogate and anonymous egg donors to have five kids, Liu grew up in a uniquely tight-knit family.
At just 13 years old, she shocked the skating world by becoming the youngest U.S. women’s national champion in history in 2019. By 16, she had already competed in the Olympics and walked away from the sport entirely.
Then came the twist nobody expected.
Liu returned from retirement in 2024, but this time it was on her terms. She trained when she wanted, ate when she wanted, and even chose her own music, choreography, and costumes.
The result? Two gold medals and a rapidly growing legion of fans who love both the skater and the person.
And if the follower count is any indication, the Alysa Liu era is just getting started.
The rise of Alysa Liu has been nothing short of meteoric.
Before the Winter Olympics, Liu had around 211,000 Instagram followers.
After dazzling the world with her skating and personality, that number exploded to 6.3 million.
Suddenly, the once-lowkey prodigy became one of the most talked-about stars in winter sports, but her story was always bigger than medals.
Raised by a single father who used a surrogate and anonymous egg donors to have five kids, Liu grew up in a uniquely tight-knit family.
At just 13 years old, she shocked the skating world by becoming the youngest U.S. women’s national champion in history in 2019. By 16, she had already competed in the Olympics and walked away from the sport entirely.
Then came the twist nobody expected.
Liu returned from retirement in 2024, but this time it was on her terms. She trained when she wanted, ate when she wanted, and even chose her own music, choreography, and costumes.
The result? Two gold medals and a rapidly growing legion of fans who love both the skater and the person.
And if the follower count is any indication, the Alysa Liu era is just getting started.
