Marshawn Lynch cheers on Alysa Liu before Olympic gold medal performance

Sophia Vesely, The Seattle Times on Feb 20, 2026

Published in Olympics

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Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch had some words of inspiration for a fellow Oakland, Calif.-raised athlete, Alysa Liu, on Thursday before Liu won Olympic gold in women’s singles free skating at Milan Cortina.

“Hey, what’s up, Miss Liu?” Lynch said to the Team USA figure skater in a selfie video. “What’s happening? Hey man, go out there and win some gold. Man, bring that [expletive] back to the town, man. Town, business. Show ‘em what you talking about it. You feel me?”

Liu initially retired from competitive figure skating at 16 after the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where she finished sixth in women’s singles. She finally became a normal teenager, enrolling at UCLA and traveling the world with her friends.

She decided to return to the rink in 2024 with the sole aim of spreading joy through her art form and showcasing her creativity. Now at 20, Liu became the first American woman to win the event since 2002, ending a 24-year drought.

Liu also helped USA to Olympic gold in mixed team figure skating on Feb. 8.

She also went viral back in May after performing a double axel to throw out the first pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

Liu’s father, Arthur Liu, came to California as a political refugee in 1989, fleeing China following his involvement in pro-democracy protests at the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre, according to NBC Olympics.