Nathan Chen has finally broken his silence on Alysa Liu’s stunning Olympic gold medal performance — and what he shared struck a deeply emotional chord across the skating world.
Watching his former Team USA teammate rise from retirement to the top of the Olympic podium, Chen admitted he felt more than just pride. He felt perspective. Liu’s journey, he explained, represents something far bigger than medals or technical content. It represents courage.
Chen, himself no stranger to Olympic pressure, acknowledged how difficult it is to step away from a sport at the height of expectations — and even harder to come back. Liu famously retired at 16, citing burnout and a desire to live a normal teenage life. At the time, many questioned whether she would ever return.
But according to Chen, that decision is exactly what makes her gold medal so powerful.
Fighting back emotion during a recent appearance, he described Liu’s comeback as “one of the bravest moves I’ve seen in our sport.” He emphasized that walking away from something you’re great at — especially when the world expects more — takes a different kind of strength.
Chen also highlighted how Liu returned with a new energy. “You could see it,” he said. “She wasn’t skating to prove anything. She was skating because she loved it again.” That shift, he suggested, is what made her performance feel so free and so authentic.
For U.S. figure skating, her win ended a 24-year drought in women’s singles — a statistic that had quietly lingered over every Olympic cycle. But Chen made it clear that the pride runs deeper than that.
“It’s not just that she won,” he shared. “It’s how she won — on her own terms.”
He pointed out that Liu’s story resonates far beyond skating. In a sport often defined by early specialization and relentless expectation, her willingness to prioritize her well-being — and then return stronger — offers a new blueprint for young athletes.
As Chen spoke, his voice reportedly wavered when reflecting on the maturity it took for Liu to step back and then step forward again. That emotional moment gave fans a glimpse of the bond within Team USA — one built not just on competition, but shared understanding.
In the end, Chen’s message reframed the narrative. Alysa Liu’s gold wasn’t just a comeback. It was proof that success doesn’t have to come at the cost of self.
And that, more than anything, is why the U.S. is so proud of her.
