What does an Olympian eat at the Olympic Village before going for gold?
For many, it’s a healthy mix of grilled chicken, vegetables, and nothing but water.
Not for Alysa Liu, who won two gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, first the figure skating team event, then the women’s individual competition over a week later.
So what was one of the most gifted athletes in all of the Olympics eating before winning that second gold medal?
Well, now we know.
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Jackie Wong, one of the top journalists and voices in figure skating, shared an anecdote on social media about Liu’s diet during the Olympics.
“Still remembering the mixed zone convo when someone asked Alysa Liu about food in the village and she said she was eating pasta and veggies and lava cake,” posted Wong. “And that person was sarcastically like, oh that’s healthy. I said to them, no you don’t do that, and they were [very] confused.”
Liu has been upfront about how she competes the way she wants to since returning from early retirement at 16.
At her last Olympic Games in Beijing, she was burned out and ready to say goodbye to the sport. But following a family ski trip that helped her rediscover her love of winter sports, she’s come back to figure skating, wanting to present her craft in her own light.
Liu has done just that, winning the women’s world championship in 2025 and now taking home the first women’s individual gold in figure skating for Team USA in over two decades.
Where others have gone classic with their performances, she’s turned her routines into mini concerts. After walking away from the sport four years ago, she proclaimed that being on the ice in front of the crowd is when she’s happiest following her gold medal win on Thursday.
And she probably celebrated the win with some lava cake.