Alysa Liu already holds one of the greatest comebacks in figure skating history. After stepping away from the sport as a teen, she returned to reclaim the world title before eventually capturing Olympic gold in Milan. For most, this would signal the end of a story, but for Liu and those close to her, this is just the beginning.

Recently, during a segment on NBC Bay Area, one of her coaches, Massimo Scali, reflected on a promise he, Liu, and fellow coach Phillip DiGuglielmo made after stepping onto the ice for the medal ceremony.

“The three of us back together, we looked at each other, and we said, ‘This medal will never change us,'” he said. “‘We are the same people, and we’re gonna find our joy back to that place where we always find it, that is here.'”

Scali made it clear that despite etching their names in history following Liu’s accomplishment, reality struck almost immediately. Instead of staying focused on the glory they achieved, the coaching duo returned to preparing skaters and planning for the next season.

“Life is busier. It didn’t change much,” he said. “It doesn’t matter the glory of the competition, the week after, you have to go back to reality. There are other skaters, there are other projects, there are other choreography to do.”

Here’s the thing. When athletes achieve Olympic success, it leads to growth in expectation, outside attention, and pressure to defend titles, and it can often rob them of the joy that helped get them there in the first place. It’s something Liu has faced in the past, but her camp believes that the promise they made can help alleviate some of those concerns.

Liu previously retired from competitive skating in 2022, when she was just 16 years old. She then took two years off, returning for the 2024-25 season by going back to DiGuglielmo and Scali as her coaching duo, seeing much more success since rejoining them.

She has openly spoken about how the decision helped preserve her passion for the sport, and how she skates for joy, and not medals, in keeping with the message shared by Scali.

Liu had faced a rough training atmosphere before retiring, with all elements of her performance curated and little chance for her personality or music preference, or even costumes to show. She even injured her hip due to repeated attempts at big jumps.

Now, as she looks to compete again at the 2030 Winter Olympics, Scali is right behind her.

Massimo Scali already has his sights set on Alysa Liu’s next Olympic journey

While talking about his and Alysa Liu’s past experience, Massimo Scali made it clear that they’re already facing the future. He explained that Liu as decided to continue competing, and that the decision has motivated the coaching staff. To add to this, the arrival of 14-year-old Rachel Samourian has given him a taste of the past.

“The first is that Alysa decided to keep going,” he told NBC. “Plus, on top of that, we decided to start this collaboration and this new journey with another skater… She’s 14; her name is Rachel Samourian. It kind of brings me back to my first experience with Alysa that was exactly when she was that age.”

Scali made it clear that his time as a coach is closely tied to Liu and her decision to skate. He highlighted that he has no plans to coach other than the journey that they continue to share.

“My project will be done when Alysa will be done, he concluded. “So if she will decide to skate, I will keep going. The journey is the best part of this.”

As the figure skating world looks ahead to the next Olympic cycle, Scali’s words show that the team is focused on the same philosophy that earned them gold in Milan. If the promise they made to each other stays true, the next chapter won’t be about defending their title, but about preserving the joy that fueled Liu’s journey.