The scene was the Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy in Bangkok, Thailand, and the time was August 2018. A young Asian American girl stands confidently in the middle of the glistening rink, a sweet smile gracing her face. As soon as the music starts, her expression shifts, and her eyes turn to the ice with a concentrated, singular focus. Light, tinkling music fills the stadium as she glides across the ice with effortless grace and elegance.
Birth of a Star
This girl is Alysa Liu from Oakland, California. She was only twelve years old at the 2018 Asian Open, where she became the youngest skater in history to land a triple axel at an international competition. The triple axel is one of figure skating’s oldest and most difficult jumps; it takes an incredible amount of strength and body control to land successfully. Historically, few female skaters have been able to do it—in fact, only twelve women have been able to complete one in competition. She might have only been in middle school, but Alysa Liu had already made history.
At the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Alysa Liu became the first U.S woman to land three triple axels in a single competition. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
In an interview with NBC Sports, 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski said that Alysa is “the future of U.S. ladies’ skating … She will be the one to push the next generation forward.” With Alysa’s determination, ambition, and courage, there is no doubt she will. Immediately after breaking records in the Asian Open, she took part in the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. There, she surpassed expectations again, landing a record-breaking three triple axels and becoming the youngest woman to win a U.S. Championship title at the age of thirteen…
