The Big Lead 23.9K Followers Alysa Liu’s dad shares jaw-dropping amount of money he spent on figure skating career
Alysa Liu’s dad shares jaw-dropping amount of money he spent on figure skating career
Team USA figure skating star Alysa Liu snapped the United States’ 24-year gold medal drought in women’s figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday.
It was a dream that was years in the making, and strongly supported by her father, Arthur Liu, who emigrated to the United States to start his own law firm after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Alysa began training at the Oakland Ice Center under Laura Lipetsky when she was just five years old.
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During an interview with 60 Minutes, Arthur Liu revealed just how much he invested in Alysa’s figure skating career, with estimates that he dropped between $500,000 to $1 million to help his daughter’s career.
“I spared no money, no time. I just saw talent,” Liu said.
Liu’s path to gold is a great underdog story that had some serious obstacles on her rise to the top.
At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Alysa and Arthur were reportedly targeted in a spying operation that is believed to have been ordered by the Chinese government.
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“They are probably just trying to intimidate us, to … in a way threaten us not to say anything, to cause trouble to them and say anything political or related to human rights violations in China,” Arthur Liu said. “I had concerns about her safety. The U.S. government did a good job protecting her.”
“I’ve kind of accepted my life to be like this because of what I chose to do in 1989, to speak up against the government. And I know the Chinese government will extend their long hands into any corner in the world. I’m going to continue to enjoy life and live life as I want to live. I’m not going to let this push me down, and I’m not going to let them succeed.”
Now, at 20 years old, Liu has risen to the top of the figure skating world.
Figure skating fans will get an opportunity to watch Liu one more time at the Milan Cortina Games, when she participates in the Exhibition Gala on Sunday, February 22.
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