Olympian Alysa Liu Has One Secret to Performing Under Pressure
Alysa Liu, the 20-year-old figure skater who captured Olympic gold last month, has drawn as much attention for her composure as for her technical precision. Her relaxed, joyful presence under extreme competitive pressure has become a case study in elite performance psychology.
When she appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, host Andy Cohen asked what many viewers were wondering: how did she remain so calm — and look like she was enjoying herself?
“I love making mistakes, I love falling,” Liu said. “I also love landing and doing really well, so I feel like no matter what the outcome was, I was going to be cool with it.”
That perspective wasn’t always natural to her. After competing at the 2022 Beijing Olympics at just 16, Liu stepped away from the sport due to burnout. Now back on the ice, she has shifted her focus from outcome metrics to process enjoyment — prioritizing presence over podiums.
Staying Grounded
In an interview on Today, Liu explained that she doesn’t rely on elaborate pre-performance rituals.
“I tell myself to breathe, because breathing is so important throughout the program because we’re so stamina-based,” she said. “I’m feeling the energy of the audience, so I don’t really need to tell myself much more.”
She echoed that mindset on Cohen’s show, noting that she wasn’t preoccupied with scoring — even after finishing her routine.
“I was not thinking about the score even after I competed,” she said. “I was just still kind of in that, ‘Oh, I just skated my life out right now.’”
A Cultural and Commercial Ripple Effect
Liu’s victory marked the first Olympic gold in women’s figure skating for an American since 2002. Beyond its athletic significance, her performance generated measurable commercial impact in the music industry.
She skated to the “Stateside” remix by PinkPantheress featuring Zara Larsson. The day after her routine aired, the track recorded 1.8 million U.S. on-demand streams — an 88% increase from the 952,000 streams logged one week prior, according to Billboard. The surge propelled the song to No. 2 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart and No. 10 on Apple Music’s real-time rankings.
Her program also featured “Promise” by Laufey, which accumulated 1.3 million streams in the four days following her performance. Meanwhile, Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park,” written by Jimmy Webb, saw a 976% increase in streams and a 4,787% spike in sales compared to the same four-day period the week prior.
Liu confirmed on Cohen’s show that she intends to compete at the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps, signaling that her comeback is not just a return — but the beginning of a new competitive chapter defined by resilience, perspective, and intrinsic motivation.