Olympic Champion Alysa Liu Asks Fans to Stop Chasing Her After Frightening Airport Encounter
Alysa Liu, the 20-year-old figure skater who won two gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, is asking fans to give her space after being swarmed at an airport upon her return to the United States. In an Instagram Stories post on Wednesday, March 4, Liu described being confronted by a crowd and chased to her car.
“So I land at the airport, & there’s a crowd waiting at the exit with cameras & things for me to sign,” she wrote. “All up in my personal space. Someone chased me to my car bruh. Please do not do that to me.”
Liu’s plea comes after a historic run at the Winter Games. She won the women’s singles figure skating competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, earning the first individual gold medal for Team USA since 2002.
Her free skate program, set to “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer, took place in the women’s final on Feb. 19 in Milan. She also won a second gold medal as part of the United States team figure skating competition earlier in the Games.
The back-to-back golds made Liu one of the most talked-about athletes to emerge from the Winter Olympics. Public attention intensified quickly, as her airport experience shows.
Since returning from Italy, Liu has been in New York City for a string of high-profile appearances. She appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and on Today, where she met Daniel Radcliffe. She visited Simu Liu and the cast of Oh, Mary! at the Lyceum Theatre and appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue.
In a matter of weeks, the 20-year-old went from competing on Olympic ice to navigating New York media studios and Broadway theaters. The transition into celebrity culture has been swift.
Liu seemed to sense that adjusting to life after Olympic gold might come with complications. In an NBC Interview following her Olympic victory, she joked about how she might deal with her sudden fame.
When asked how she would handle “superstardom,” she said, “I have no idea how I’m gonna deal with it. Probably wigs. I’m gonna wear some wigs when I go outside,” before grinning and adding, “Nah, I’m playing.”
Liu’s public request raises a question that many young athletes face after breakout moments on the world stage. The line between enthusiastic support and invasive behavior can be thin, and Liu’s account suggests it got crossed.
At just 20 years old, she has already accomplished what generations of American figure skaters aspired to. She won individual Olympic gold for the first time in more than two decades, then added a team gold on top of it.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
