‘Take that break’: Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu on the power of quitting

U.S. figure skating champion Alysa Liu captivated audiences during the 2026 Winter Olympics. Now, the young skater is offering some life advice. 

The 20-year-old won two gold medals in the recent Milan-Cortina games, charmed crowds with her style, cheered on her competitors, and offered her refreshing take on skating for joy, rather than medals.

Liu told Today.com she had some nontraditional advice about pushing kids to continue to play sports, even when they want to quit. To put it simply, the Olympian said: “Don’t.”

“It does not work,” she explained. “The kid knows himself pretty well, and it’s just never good to force anything.”

While Liu’s advice is specifically for parents, it generalizes well to anyone struggling with their career: Just as she believes parents who have kids in sports shouldn’t force them to compete if they don’t want to—she’s also proven that she believes that the individual themselves shouldn’t feel compelled to keep competing if they don’t want to, and that breaks are not just welcome, but needed.

The skater, who competed in the Olympics four years ago, quit skating at 16. In doing so, she reclaimed her freedom. During her time off from competing, she simply enjoyed being a teenager. 

“I was going to concerts, which I never could have done before,” she previously told NBC Sports. “I also got my driver’s license. I did a whole year at college. I went on vacation for the first time. I went skiing. I went snowboarding. I got to do so many different things that I never would have done had I stayed in the sport.”

Ultimately, the star returned to skating, fresh, energized, and ready to skate—not to win—but for the pure love of the sport. While her journey didn’t follow the usual trajectory, it was her own, and in Liu’s case, following her instincts and tuning in to what she needed turned out to be the ultimate prize. It also led her to Olympic gold.

Therefore, it’s no wonder Liu wants others to know that it’s okay to go off course. “If it’s really such a struggle, I would say definitely take that break,” she explained. “Don’t be scared to do that. Don’t be scared of failure.”

Liu said, “Trying new things will definitely give you a different outcome.” It doesn’t have to be a gold medal, but if that outcome is finding renewed joy in something that has become drudgery, or joy elsewhere, then success has already been won.