The Tale of Two Athletes

The second half of February brings double excitement: the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are underway in Italy, coinciding with the start of Chinese New Year on February 16 (lasting 15 days). This overlap offers a perfect moment to reflect on two Chinese American athletes competing at the highest level: figure skater Alysa Liu (representing Team USA) and freestyle skier Eileen Gu (representing China).

At first glance, Liu and Gu share several similarities. Both were born in California, granting them U.S. citizenship; they are of Chinese descent, with Liu’s father and Gu’s mother being immigrants from China; they are young and attractive; and both are Olympic athletes—Liu is a talented figure skater while Gu is a prominent skier.

However, a noteworthy distinction stands out: Liu proudly represents Team USA, while Gu has chosen to represent China in the Winter Olympics, having done so in Beijing (2022) and again in Milan (2026). Given their youth—Liu is 20 and Gu is 22—it’s clear that family backgrounds and parental influences clearly played pivotal roles.

Alysa Liu’s story is rooted in her father’s experience as a political refugee. Arthur Liu grew up in Communist China and participated in the pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square in 1989. After the government’s violent crackdown, he fled to the United States as a political refugee. He settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, earned a law degree, and built a life as an attorney while raising his family.

Born on August 8, 2005, Alysa rose meteorically in figure skating. According to her website, “Alysa became the youngest lady to win the U.S. Championships. She also became the youngest female skater to land a triple Axel at the U.S. Championships and the third woman to do so at the event.”

In 2021, as a 16-year-old preparing for her Olympic debut at Beijing 2022, the FBI alerted Arthur that Chinese agents were targeting him and Alysa. One operative, posing as a sports official, requested their passport details—Arthur declined, sensing danger.

Investigations revealed the surveillance intensified after Alysa posted on Instagram about China’s human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims. This likely stemmed from Arthur’s dissident history and Alysa’s growing awareness of such issues. After all, how many American teenagers even know how to spell “Uyghur”?

Arthur chose not to tell Alysa immediately to protect her focus: “This is her moment... I’m not going to let them stop her from going... I’m not going to let them win—to stop me—to silence me from expressing my opinions anywhere.”

Despite risks, Alysa competed in Beijing with U.S. security escorts, finishing seventh in women’s singles. She later described the experience as surreal, likening it to being a character in a movie. She retired from competition later that year at 16, possibly influenced by the pressures (though she returned triumphantly last year).

Also in 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice charged five individuals recruited by Chinese intelligence to surveil and intimidate dissidents, including the Lius.

Eileen Gu’s worldview, in contrast, reflects her mother’s background. 

Read the rest at: https://helenraleigh.substack.com/p/the-tale-of-two-athletes