Olympic Skater Alysa Liu Unearths Precise That methodology In the lend a hand of Her Striped Coiffure
Alysa Liu—who received a gold medal in the 2026 Olympics' determine skating crew occasion—published the meaning at the lend a hand of her now-viral, blonde-and-brown striped hairstyle.
Alysa Liu likes to are residing on the threshold.
That's why the U.S. determine skater opted to rock a courageous hairstyle at the 2026 Olympics, hitting the ice rink with darkish brunette locks that includes horizontal platinum blonde stripes.
And for the 20-yr-mature—who retired from the sport in 2022, sooner than making her legitimate comeback two years later—the “halos” on her head undergo a wonderful meaning.
“Yearly, I add a stripe,” Alysa explained in an interview with NBC closing month. “It's gonna be esteem this for a yr, then—subsequent wintertime, cease of December—I attain but some other ring.”
That methodology the hairdo that Olympic spectators seen on Feb. 8 when she received a gold medal in the determine skating crew occasion alongside Ilia Malinin, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Amber Glenn, Ellie Kam and Daniel O'Shea turned into years in the making.
“I factual wanted to be a tree,” Alysa suggested Paralympian Haven Shepherd in a Feb. 10 TikTok video, referencing how rings on a tree trunk demarcate a cycle of seasons. “Three years previously, I put my first one.”
Essentially, the athlete DIY'd her most in vogue stripe, though she did need some abet with bleaching her hair to the upright shade of blonde. Enter St. Louis-essentially essentially based fully hairstylist Kelsey Miller.
“This turned into indisputably a truly queer field for me,” Kelsey shared in an Attraction interview printed Feb. 6. “It turned into fun to shake it up and accomplish something I don't in most cases attain.”
In all, it took the colorist five hours to remodel Alysa's unique stripes—a subtle ginger shade against her brown hair—to more of a “milk tea shade.”
“We started in the lend a hand of her head,” Kelsey persisted, “and took it your complete methodology through.”
She added, “Your hair is finally your identity. It’ll enable you to with your self belief.”
For more on Alysa and the leisure of Team USA, retain learning.
Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine Snowboarding
Shiffrin would possibly well perhaps perhaps furthermore very nicely be a 3-time Olympic medalist, but the 30-yr-mature skier is shopping for redemption heading into her fourth Olympics after her disappointing outcomes at the 2022 Beijing Video games and a provoking wreck in November 2024, in which she suffered a puncture to her abdomen that required surgery to repair.
“I surely feel very attentive to your complete things that will well perhaps perhaps happen that I will't request,” Shiffrin suggested TIME in December. “I know thoroughly that shall we attain the entirety upright on paper and it couldn’t cease up with a medal. But I surely feel surely connected with my coaches, with the staff, with all people round me, and that's constructing in a methodology that, whatever comes up, we'll be in a job to handle it together. That's the handiest I will attain.”
Shiffrin's pork up crew has long incorporated Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, but now she's engaged to her fellow Alpine specialist.
“He's sure, he's telling me, 'Staunch remember, it's going to be OK,'” she suggested Olympics.com. “And especially closing season, there had been some moments where I surely puzzled why I turned into seeking to come lend a hand and if that turned into too grand, too soon, if it's no longer that it is doubtless you’ll well perhaps perhaps seemingly place confidence in. And he turned into esteem, ‘Hiya, your self better. You're making an try your hardest. If it doesn't work, that's also OK.’”
Lindsey Vonn, Alpine Snowboarding
Tormented by knee accidents, Vonn retired from opponents in 2019 after competing in five Iciness Olympics, a success gold in downhill and bronze in Tall-G in 2010 and adding but some other bronze in downhill in 2018.
But after undergoing a life-changing partial upright knee-change in 2024 that left her free from misfortune for the predominant time since her first knee surgery in 2013, she felt that acquainted need for perambulate.
“Board calls are nice, but they’re no longer surely the the same as downhill,” the 41-yr-mature suggested NBC News in December. “And investing is large, but it’s also no longer the the same. I built an infinite life outside of skiing, but there will never be something esteem skiing, and I fully remember that, and I’m at ease with that. But I’m indisputably going to revel on this closing little bit of adrenaline, because I received’t bag it lend a hand.”
When Vonn crashed for the interval of a Jan. 30 World Cup lumber in Switzerland and needed to be airlifted off the mountain, that can delight in spelled curtains for her comeback.
However the gentle athlete, who beforehand said she turned into “engaging to threat the entirety,” declared herself match sufficient to compete in the females's downhill Feb. 8 despite struggling a ruptured left ACL.
“I’m no longer letting this hurry through my fingers,” she said at a Feb. 3 press convention. “I’m no longer crying. My head is excessive, I’m standing mountainous and I’m going to attain my handiest.”
Unfortunately, Vonn crashed on lumber day and sustained a elaborate tibia atomize that required a pair of surgical procedures.
Jessie Diggins, Inferior-Country Snowboarding
The most embellished corrupt-nation skier in U.S. historical previous, Diggins is competing in her fourth and last Olympics.
And the Afton, Minn., native is headed to Italy with a cause.
“I bag to specialise in who I’m racing for day by day, and how I are looking to are residing up to my values,” the 34-yr-mature wrote on Instagram Jan. 31. “For all people on the market caring for others, maintaining their neighbors, and assembly folk with adore—every single step is for you. YOU are the ones who fabricate me proud to safe the flag, and I’m hoping I will carry you joy over these subsequent few weeks.”
However, once she retires, she suggested NPR's All Things Knowing to be, “I'm factual mad to in fact attain heaps of gardening and most of all be house with my husband and delight in that time together.”
Jordan Stulz, Toddle Skating
Stolz made his Olympics debut at 17 in Beijing and, whereas he carried out removed from the podium four years previously, he's a favorite to dominate in the 500, 1,000, and 1,500-meter events, as nicely as in the mass originate (a 16-lap, 6,400-meter lumber), at the Milan Cortina Video games.
“If I will delight in excellent races, I deem I delight in the handiest potentialities out of heaps of folk to gain gold,” the 21-yr-mature suggested the Associated Press in January. Requested how he dealt with the load of expectations, he spoke back, “As long as nothing gets in the methodology, then I ought to silent be resplendent. I’ve had heaps of excessive-stress races, I inform it is doubtless you’ll well perhaps perhaps remark, so I don’t deem that’s that mammoth of a field.”
Stolz received a gold medal in the boys's 100m occasion on Feb. 11, atmosphere an Olympic file with a time of 1:06.28.
Erin Jackson, Toddle Skating
As the predominant Dusky American lady to gain a medal in perambulate skating—and the predominant Dusky lady to gain an person gold medal at the Iciness Olympics—four years previously in Beijing, 500-meter champion Jackson is returning to the 2026 Video games as a flag bearer in the Feb. 6 Opening Ceremony, sharing the glory with bobsledder Frank Del Duca.
“Being chosen to suggest america on the realm stage is a large honor,” the 33-yr-mature from Ocala, Fla., said in a assertion. “It's a 2nd that displays far bigger than one person—it represents my household, my teammates, my role of starting put, and all people at some level of the nation who believes in the energy of sport.”
And whereas she isn't calling it a occupation factual but, Jackson's put up-retirement plans embody starting her safe organization to abet young Dusky athletes pursue their perambulate skating desires.
“I deem illustration is large crucial since it helps to spy any individual esteem you reaching something, and we haven’t in most cases had that in chilly climate sports activities, and perambulate skating, particularly,” she suggested NBC Olympics. “I surely take hold of on the responsibility with delight of being a face that others can leer to and most likely bag out and strive the sports activities. I are looking to attain whatever I will to manufacture the magic happen for others.”
Chloe Kim, Snowboarding
Slightly of torn labrum, suffered in January when she dislocated her shoulder whereas practising in Switzerland, wasn't going to cease Kim from competing in her fourth Olympics, where she has the chance to gain her third gold medal in females's halfpipe.
“Clearly, I'm surely upset that I will’t snowboard except upright sooner than the Olympics, which goes to be laborious,” the 25-yr-mature from Torrance, Calif., said in a Jan. 13 video. “I haven't gotten nearly the quantity of reps I’d've cherished, but that's OK.”
She predicted a “slightly relax” lead-up to the 2026 Video games, telling NBC Olympics Jan 22, “I'm house upright now, and I'll be heading out to Europe early subsequent week to bag a pair of days of practising in sooner than we head over to Milan, and then I'll be there for the mammoth day.”
And once she turned into there, she'd be fired up and willing to flow—factual esteem all people else.
“I deem the abilities as a entire, it's surely laborious to direct,” Kim, who's been snowboarding since she turned into 4, said, “but I surely feel esteem we all roughly change into into height variations of ourselves.”
Crimson Gerard, Snowboarding
Gerard turned into 17 when he received his sole gold in slopestyle at the 2018 Video games in Pyeongchang, but he's the two-time defending X Video games champ and is hoping to carry those a success vibes to his third Olympics.
“I silent surely feel young and I silent surely feel surely, surely healthy,” the 25-yr-mature, who's in the origin from Ohio and is now essentially essentially based fully in Colorado, suggested Of us in January. “But it absolutely has been surely cool being on Team USA since I turned into 13 or whatever…and [now] being one of the most older athletes, being in a job to provide some wisdom to the youthful athletes.”
As for competing on the realm's most attention-grabbing stage, Gerard said, “I factual strive and expose myself when the Olympics are coming round, it's the the same as your complete other competitions. I mean, yeah, it's numerous. It's on a greater scale, and heaps more folk watching and all that. But when it surely comes down to the snowboarding, it's the the same valid thing. So, if you happen to can roughly put your blinders on and factual trouble about what you bought to attain and treat it the the same as you delight in your complete life, that's what I constantly strive and attain.”
Alex Ferreira, Freestyle Snowboarding
The 31-yr-mature halfpipe specialist is competing in his third Olympics and is taking a leer to round out his 2018 silver and 2022 bronze alongside with his first gold medal.
“I deem this is the yr I will gain gold because, one, I'm coming into the video games healthy for the predominant time,” Ferreira, who turned into born in Aspen, Colo., and realized to ski at the native membership using secondhand equipment, suggested the Each day Affirm. “And both of those times prior, I turned into going into the video games injured. The principle one, I had broken my collarbone a pair of weeks sooner than, and then the 2nd one, I had sprained my ankle. Like, three weeks sooner than, so this time I'm healthy, this time I'm somewhat of bit older, I'm grand more centered, laser-centered.”
And as nicely as to his sister Lourdes and athlete folk Marcelo, a gentle legitimate soccer player from Argentina, and Colleen, who turned into a aggressive relay racer, he's got rescue dog Brandy shoring up his corner.
“The article I surely esteem most about Brandy is that she's no longer counting medals,” Ferreira, an envoy for Nulo pet food, said in an interview for the logo. “She's factual wagging her tail once I bag house, so she's there for me—the honest, the rotten, the gruesome, the entirety—and I fully need her.”
Ferreira received a silver medal at the boys's freestyle skiing slopestyle occasion on Feb. 10.
Alex Corridor, Freestyle Snowboarding
Corridor is headed to his third Olympics because the reigning gold medalist in slopestyle—rocketing to novel heights four years after ending 16th in the occasion in the 2018 Video games.
As nicely as to a that it is doubtless you’ll well perhaps perhaps seemingly place confidence in repeat in slopestyle, the mellow 27-yr-mature—”I got to attain it once,” he suggested The Athletic of a success gold, which he keeps in his sock drawer. “If I bag to attain it but again, that’d be unparalleled”—shall be taking a leer to strengthen on an eighth-role 2022 enact in Mountainous Air.
“Having the Olympics lend a hand in Europe shall be inspiring, skiing on honest snow optimistically, and round mammoth mountains, which we haven’t had these previous two Olympics,” Corridor—who lives in Utah but turned into born in Alaska and grew up in Zurich, where his folk are college professors—suggested POWDER journal in October 2025. “For me in my belief, it’s also slightly cool because my mom is Italian. She’s from Bologna and her complete side of the household silent lives upright in the city. A bunch of them are establishing for the Olympics, so that shall be slightly candy.”
Jaelin Kauf, Freestyle Snowboarding
Competing in her third Olympics, the 29-yr-mature moguls knowledgeable intends to strengthen on her silver showing in Beijing.
And she is conscious of where to flip for advice about the entirety from practising to easy programs to handle the stress of worldwide opponents.
Mother Patti Sherman-Kauf received two titles on the World Legitimate Moguls Tour—and competed whereas pregnant with her daughter—whereas dad Scott Kauf received five. And after her tycoon days were over, Patti switched to skicross and earned three X Video games bronze medals.
When Jaelin turned into born, “she didn't esteem to be rocked, esteem most babies,” Patti suggested NBC Olympics. “She cherished to be bounced.”
Mute, Jaelin “wasn't constantly offered on tycoon skiing itself,” she admitted to Teton Gravity Examine in November 2025. “I’d take hold of a powder day over bumps any time. But I deem that seeing and vibrant how my folk made a life as legitimate skiers made me understand it turned into a possibility. No longer all people grows up seeing that as a exact occupation course, or is supported in that course, but I constantly knew that I would possibly well perhaps perhaps be.”
Moreover on Team Jaelin is her two-time Olympian boyfriend, retired moguls skier Bradley Wilson, and his bronze medal-a success older brother Bryon Wilson, who happens to be Kauf's coach.
Kauf received a silver medal in females's freestyle skiing moguls on Feb. 11.
Kaillie Humphries, Bobsled
Humphries' rush has had more twists than a bobsled bustle.
Born in Calgary, the 40-yr-mature received gold at the 2010 and 2014 Iciness Olympics, and then a bronze in 2018, competing in two-lady bobsled for Team Canada.
She then terrorized the sporting world when she announced in 2019 that she turned into leaving the Canadian nationwide crew after 16 years, alleging she feared for her safety amid what had change into a toxic ambiance forward of the 2018 Olympics.
Humphries joined the U.S. crew in 2019, but suggested the AP at the time that she turned into Canadian and “no longer giving up one for the different.”
“My emotions for Canada don't reduce, but I will adore something else factual as grand,” she explained. “And I've been residing in the U.S. for four years. I surely esteem an American. I married one. Then numerous opportunities arose and we uncover ourselves in eventualities in life where now we must fabricate choices and choices.”
Humphries grew to change into an American citizen in 2021—then received gold in the inaugural monobob (i.e. one-particular person) at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Her fifth Olympics shall be her first as a mom, having welcomed son Aulden with husband Travis Armbruster in June 2024.
“We’ve constantly been suggested, ‘If you happen to thrill in somewhat of one, your body will never be the the same, you’re never gonna bag lend a hand on the podium, you’re going to alternate physically and mentally, so if you happen to thrill in a child, your sport occupation is carried out,'” Humphries suggested The Athletic in January. “And that turned into true for a truly very long time. But we’re proving that now, if you happen to want both, it is doubtless you’ll well perhaps perhaps seemingly delight in both.”
Elana Meyers Taylor, Bobsled
Bobsledding has change into “me time” for the now-five-time Olympian since she and husband Nic Taylor welcomed son Nico in 2020 and then son Noah in 2022. Nico has Down syndrome and both kids are deaf, the latter attributable to a gene mutation that both folk delight in, which they didn't know except after Nico turned into born.
And despite life at house being busier than ever, Meyers Taylor turned into alive to for her kids to spy her at work.
“They’re gonna face challenges that I will’t even comprehend,” the 41-yr-mature suggested The Athletic. “I need them to spy that, despite boundaries, it is doubtless you’ll well perhaps perhaps seemingly retain pursuing your dream. I need them to spy me with medals round my neck. But I also want them to spy me bag knocked down, bag lend a hand up and battle.”
Whereas she has five medals from her four old Olympics, four from two-lady bobsled and the silver she got ending 2nd to Humphries in monobob in 2022, Meyers Taylor is silent making an try to acquire her first gold.
Mystique Ro, Skeleton
There's a definite badassery built into a sport that entails hurtling headfirst on a little sled down a twisty display screen at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour.
But Ro, the predominant American to medal in skeleton in 12 years at the IBSF World Championships in 2025, admittedly didn't deem it turned into for her in the origin.
“The coach walks me to the road, lets me flow, and all of a unexpected, it’s going so quick, it is doubtless you’ll well perhaps perhaps seemingly no longer stumble on something, it is doubtless you’ll well perhaps perhaps seemingly no longer direction of something,” she suggested The Athletic in December, recalling her first taste of the sport in 2016 after being suggested she turned into too little for bobsledding. “I bag to the underside, and it’s esteem, ‘I’m carried out, bye! I’m no longer doing that s–t but again!’”
But after paying attention to sufficient folk rave about how cool it turned into, she tried it but again.
A decade later, the Virginia native is in her first Olympics, ready to compete for my part and in the mixed (co-ed) crew occasion, which is making its debut at the 2026 Video games.
When she's no longer practising and touring, Ro—who's the 2nd-oldest of 11 siblings, including a twin sister who's 14 minutes youthful—works as a tour knowledge at the Lake Placid Olympic Center, one of numerous athletes in decrease-profile sports activities who supplements her monetary institution account with a day job.
“I work there, I educate there, I are residing and breathe that ambiance your complete time,” she explained. “And tourists love it because you delight in an athlete strolling you at some level of the ability, providing you with their queer level of view. It’s surely cool, but it’s no longer going to duvet the entirety I wish to attain this sport.”
Ilia Malinin, Resolve Skating
Born to those that were both Uzbekistani determine skating champions, Malinin took up the sport when he turned into 6—though at the time he most in vogue playing soccer outside in his Virginia role of starting put slightly than educate in a cold arena.
When he turned into 17, he grew to change into the predominant and—to this level—handiest skater to successfully land a truly turned around quadruple axel in worldwide opponents, at the 2022 CS U.S. Worldwide Traditional.
Malinin, dubbed the “Quad God,” has carried out the feat a pair of times since and is the U.S. men's handiest shot at repeating in person gold in 2026, since “Quad King” Nathan Chen opted no longer to compete in the Milan Cortina Video games.
However, four years after he turned into disregarded for a job on Team USA, the 20-yr-mature is centered on giving himself the handiest shot at a solid showing.
“After I’ll competitions, I don't specialise in the medals,” Malinin said on USA On the present time's Milan Magic video podcast. “I constantly specialise in the efficiency and private in mind what I must attain, what my job is as a skater. Many of the times, I put together myself thoroughly so that I will flow on the ice and carry to the handiest of my ability. And naturally, if you happen to thrill in a honest skate, I'm assumed that the medals can come with you, as nicely.”
He and his U.S. determine skating teammates clinched the gold medal in the groups occasion on Feb. 8.
Alysa Liu, Resolve Skating
Liu hung up her skates in 2022 after the Beijing Olympics and World Championships, where she received bronze.
“I started once I turned into 5 and I most continuously didn't cease except 16, and I turned into homeschooled my complete life,” Liu suggested NBC News in January, reflecting on her decision to retire at 17. “And I'm a truly social particular person. I crave human connection. And I turned into residing on my safe for a pair of years, no household, no friends round, focused on the sake of practising.”
Moreover, she persisted, “I didn't even pick my safe programs, esteem folk put me in apparel that I didn't are looking to put on, I turned into literally factual esteem a costume-up doll and I didn't are looking to attain it, but I felt esteem I needed to attain my responsibility of going to the Olympics for my youthful self.”
She enrolled at UCLA in the autumn of 2023 and enjoyed having a typical life. But a January skiing day out fired up her aggressive side, and she or he declared herself lend a hand in the sport in March 2024. The 20-yr-mature from Clovis, Calif., went on to gain gold at the World Championships in 2025 and is hoping to cease the U.S. females's 20-yr person medal drought—preferably with more gold—at the 2026 Video games.
When she takes the ice now, “it's fully for myself,” Liu explained. “Yeah, it's slightly cool.”
Liu and her U.S. determine skating teammates clinched the gold medal in the groups occasion on Feb. 8.
Madison Chock & Evan Bates, Ice Dancing
The longtime partners are competing of their fourth Olympics, but first since getting married in June 2024.
“I deem it factual surely solidified our dedication to every other and our dedication to our craft,” Chock suggested E! News in December. “We already had this kind of deep figuring out and bond through skating, but since we've been married, I surely surely feel esteem we factual take hold of the entirety on as partners and champion each other on and off the ice in whatever endeavor we're pursuing.”
Whereas they shared a crew gold medal with the leisure of the U.S. determine skating crew in Beijing in 2022, the three-time world champions are silent making an try to acquire their first Olympic medal as a pair.
“We're working laborious and been placing in the hours and placing in the work,” Bates suggested E!,” “but we're so grateful for day to day and for the chance.”
And though the 36-yr-mature and Chock, 33, haven't said whether this would be their closing Olympics or no longer, they know they're getting nearer to their mountainous finale.
“We’ve tried to no longer bag too emotional, factual with the nostalgia of this occasion and the 15-yr rush that we’ve been on,” Bates suggested NBC Olympics in January at the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Resolve Skating Championships, where they went on to gain gold. “The closing payback is to skate nicely, but we are also looking to factual revel in that 2nd, since it’s fleeting and it can well perhaps perhaps thoroughly be the closing.”
The couple received the gold medal in the determine skating groups occasion on Feb. 8, as nicely as a silver in the ice dance opponents.
Hilary Knight, Hockey
The U.S. females's nationwide crew gentle, who received gold in 2018, has confirmed that Milan Cortina shall be her fifth and last Olympics—that will well perhaps perhaps give the 36-yr-mature the file for many Olympic appearances by any American hockey player, man or lady.
And whereas Knight would adore to skate off with but some other gold medal, she suggested On the present time.com, “Half our roster, seemingly grand more, has never been to the Olympics. That's a mammoth deal, so making obvious all people is at ease and in a job to play up to their true potential. We delight in some unparalleled avid gamers, and if we're going to bag them to play your complete methodology up to burly scale esteem that, that's going to be elite for our efficiency.”
The College of Wisconsin alum has played all over, and her present house ice is in Washington, where she's the Seattle Torrent's considerable particular person forward. But house-house is in Salt Lake City, where she offered a house with accomplice Brittany Bowe, who’s the oldest member of the U.S. perambulate skating crew and shall be competing in her fourth and last Olympics factual weeks sooner than her Thirty eighth birthday Feb. 24.
“As high-tier athletes, you surely know what that particular person will delight in, whether it's pork up or role,” Knight suggested NBC Olympics in June 2025. “And I deem both of us being at a excessive level for a slightly very long time helps us understand each other.”
Cory Thiesse & Korey Dropkin, Curling
The mixed doubles partners, who joined forces quickly after the 2022 Beijing Video games, is competing of their first Olympics together after ending in fifth role at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. As nicely as to their skill and laborious work, they've credited their complementary personalities for his or her success, which features a 2023 world championship.
“We factual work so nicely together. We all know easy programs to stop loose and stop in the visual display unit 2nd,” Dropkin, 30, suggested journalists forward of the Milan Cortina Video games. “We match so nicely together persona-wise. There's any person who's termed us lately as 'the level-headed and the hearth'. Cory's got that level-headed, assured, stoic persona on the ice. I carry that fiery, passionate vitality. The 2 mix surely nicely together.”
He and Thiesse—who's been married to Sam Thiesse since June 2022—are essentially essentially based fully in Duluth, Minn., where they both delight in day jobs to finance their curling desires.
Dropkin is a realtor, whereas Thiesse works as a lab tech for a firm that assessments mercury levels in wastewater. “I surely feel grateful that I delight in a job that can pay the bills whereas I’m going compete in curling,” she suggested Duluth's ABC 10. “That is what we’ve been dreaming of since we were tiny kids.”
The pair received a silver medal in the mixed doubles occasion on Feb. 10.
Source credit : eonline.com
