Compiled by Vision Times Staff
On March 7, during an event held at the June Fourth Memorial Museum in Los Angeles, Arthur Liu (Liu Jun), the father of Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu (Liu Meixian), shared the personal story behind his daughter’s success as an elite athlete. Speaking before supporters and community members, Liu reflected on the challenges of raising five children, discovering his daughter’s talent at a young age, and supporting her through both triumphs and setbacks on the road to Olympic gold.
“First, I would like to especially thank Wang Dan, the June Fourth Memorial Museum, and the organizers of today’s event for giving us the opportunity to gather here,” Liu said at the beginning of his remarks. “I came today with great excitement to share my daughter Alysa’s performance at the Olympics. She did incredibly well.”
RELATED: Exclusive: Olympic Champion Alysa Liu’s Father on the CCP’s Attempts to Recruit Her
Liu recalled traveling to Milan with family and friends to watch the competition in person. “At the time, I was in Milan with my other children, many friends and family, about 30 people in total, cheering for her in the arena,” he said. “Even now, I still feel as if I’m floating in the clouds.”
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
Seeing so many supporters at the event moved him deeply. “Over the years, there were times when I felt exhausted,” Liu said. “Sometimes it felt like I was carrying everything on my own, raising her and training her to become a world champion and U.S. champion. She became the youngest U.S. champion at just 13 years old. I often felt lonely and wondered: who could help me? Today, seeing so many people who admire and support her makes me very grateful.”
A natural talent
Liu explained that he emigrated from China in 1989, first to Hong Kong and later to the United States. In the early 1990s, he became interested in figure skating after watching Chinese American skater Michelle Kwan compete on television. “I often watched Michelle Kwan’s competitions and performances, and that’s how I developed an interest in figure skating,” he said.
RELATED: Alysa Liu Wins Olympic Gold; Father Rejects China’s Approach Over Human Rights Concerns
He began taking his children to public skating sessions. “Other children might slowly move across the ice while holding onto the wall or their parents’ hands,” Liu recalled. “But when my daughter stepped onto the ice, she immediately started running and chasing adults around. She moved on the ice as naturally as if she were walking on the ground.”
Recognizing her enthusiasm, Liu enrolled her in lessons at the rink. Within a couple of months, her coach approached him with an offer. “Your daughter has real talent,” the coach told him. “Would you consider private lessons? I’ll give you half price.”
“For me, half price was very important,” Liu said. “At the time, I had five children to support and the financial pressure was heavy. But I agreed, and that’s how her formal training began.”
A star in the making
Liu said his daughter’s potential became clear when she was just eight or nine years old.
- At age 10, she won the U.S. Intermediate Ladies Championship.
- At 11, she began representing the United States in international competitions.
- At 12, she became the youngest female skater in history to land a triple Axel.
- At 13, she became the youngest U.S. national champion.
“At 14, she was even able to land both a triple Axel and a quadruple jump in the same program,” Liu said. “She became the first female skater in the world to accomplish that.” At the time, he said, everything seemed to be progressing smoothly and her future looked bright.
Stepping away from the ice
However, when she was 16, she made an unexpected decision. “One day she suddenly told me, ‘I’m not skating anymore,’” Liu recalled. Though the decision was difficult for him to accept, Liu said he chose not to force her to continue. “I strongly believe in freedom,” he said. “I don’t want to force anyone, including my children, to do something they don’t want to do.”
After graduating high school at 15, Alysa stepped away from competitive skating following the 2022 Winter Olympics and World Championships. Her father encouraged her to experience ordinary life. “I told her, ‘You can’t just stay home. If you’re not going to college yet, at least go find a job,’” Liu said.
She later worked at a Starbucks in Los Angeles before enrolling at UCLA. “For me, that was an important life experience,” Liu said. “Young people need to experience ordinary life.”
A return to the ice
The turning point came during a family ski trip in early 2024. After spending the entire day skiing, Liu began discussing skating again with friends. Soon afterward, she returned to the rink. “The first hour back, she could already land a double Axel,” Liu said. “Within a week, she landed a triple.”
Shortly afterward, she contacted her former coach and said she wanted to return to competition. But her coach initially advised against it. “You retired as a two-time U.S. champion and world bronze medalist,” the coach said. “If you come back and fail, it could damage your reputation.”
But Alysa insisted. “I’m only 18,” she told her coach. “I’m different. I can still jump triples.” One day in February 2024, she surprised her father by showing up at his office. “She told me, ‘I decided I’m coming back to skating,’” Liu recalled.
Though he tried to remain calm, he admitted he was secretly delighted. “Of course I was happy,” he said. “But I also thought to myself, here comes the spending again.”
A father’s perspective
Liu emphasized that he was never formally part of his daughter’s coaching team. As a lawyer raising five children, he had limited time. Still, he taught himself the technical details of figure skating to support her training. “I used to know nothing about figure skating,” he said. “But to help her, I learned every jump and spin, including how they work and how they’re judged.”
By late 2024, Alysa had returned to competition, gradually rebuilding her endurance and form. At the 2025 U.S. National Championships, she finished second, just over one point behind the champion.
Reflecting on her journey, Liu said he ultimately hopes his daughter can enjoy both her career and her life. “In her youth, she had moments of carelessness,” he said. “But today she has grown into the ‘queen of figure skating.’ As a father, I simply hope she can enjoy the process, experience a normal life, and continue to shine on the ice.”
(Speech by Arthur Liu, father of Olympic champion Alysa Liu at the June Fourth Memorial Hall in Los Angeles, California).
