Alysa Liu's joyous run to the gold medal in women's figure skating was one of the best stories of the Milan Cortina Olympics and has fans of the newly crowned U.S. superstar wondering what's next.
She provided a hint on Sunday during the Closing Ceremony of the Milan Cortina Games.
During the ceremony's parade of athletes, Liu took a moment to speak with NBC's Andrea Joyce. Joyce asked Liu directly if she wants "to come back for another one," with "another one" presuming to mean an Olympic gold medal.
Liu deftly dodged answering the question directly, but made clear that she's not done with competitive figure skating.
Golden girl Alysa Liu describes the joy she had at the #WinterOlympics and hints at her future plans. 👀 pic.twitter.com/4KM61Z5LOc
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 22, 2026
"Yeah, I mean I have no plans to leave, yet," Liu said. "I can't imagine not skating next year."
"Yet" is doing some heavy lifting here. But it sounds like Liu intends to compete next season, which is good news for fans hoping to see more of her on the ice.
As for beyond and the 2030 Olympics in France? That's a little far out for Liu to commit. And that sounds just about right for a 20-year-old who's still a college student at UCLA.
Will Liu compete in France in 2030?
Nobody would blame Liu for going out on top. Burned out by the competitive nature of the sport after competing in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing at 16, Liu's already retired once.
But she rekindled her passion for the sport and returned to the ice in time for the Milan Cortina Games to win two gold medals. The other gold draped around her neck on Sunday was from her contribution to USA's team figure skating title.
Liu's said repeatedly during her dual-gold run that she felt unburdened by the pressure of Olympic competition in Milan Cortina and was performing simply for the love of doing so. It showed as she was beaming practically every time a camera turned her way. This truly was a run fueled by the love of the game.
And if she does decide to run it back in 2030, she'll still be in her window to compete at an Olympic level. Figure skating is generally a very young woman's game. Tara Lipinski won gold at 15. Sarah Hughes won at 16.
The ages of medal contenders naturally skews older now with the minimum age to compete on the senior circuit having been raised to 17. The prime age for women to compete tends to be in their late teens into their early 20s. 2022 gold medal winner Anna Shcherbakova won at 17.
But skaters compete at this level at 24 and older. Liu's U.S. teammate, Amber Glenn, was a contender this year at 26. A disappointing short program knocked her out contention in the woman's competition, but she'll go home with gold for her contribution in the team program.
Liu would certainly project as a contender if she decides to compete for a spot on the 2030 U.S. team. But there's plenty of time between now and then for her to figure that out.