Olympic Gold Medalist Alysa Liu Proves Anime and Gaming Culture is Everywhere
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Team USA Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu is turning heads at the 2026 Winter Olympics not just for her figure skating dominance, but for proudly showing off her fandom for the hit anime Chainsaw Man.
Elite athletes are just like the rest of us when it comes to anime and gaming obsession, and Team USA figure skater Alysa Liu is leading the charge. Fresh off winning a team gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Liu has been proudly repping her fandom for Tatsuki Fujimoto’s dark fantasy hit Chainsaw Man. According to a report by Polygon, Liu was spotted carrying a plushie of Pochita, the series' iconic chainsaw devil companion, during her official interview cycle and posting about it on social media. It is a brilliant reminder that modern competitive athletes grow up on the exact same streaming schedules and pop culture staples as the rest of us.
Liu is no stranger to elite competition, having previously set records as the youngest U.S. figure skating national champion in history before staging an incredible comeback at the Milan Cortina games. Beyond her dominance on the ice, her very public love for anime like Chainsaw Man and Saiki K. highlights how mainstream fandom culture has become across global entertainment spaces. Whether she is landing quad jumps or repping her favorite characters, Liu represents a generation that treats pop culture consumption as a core part of personal identity.
Of course, even Olympic champions deal with minor technical glitches, as Liu quickly learned when her newly minted gold medal detached from its ribbon during a celebratory jump and took some damage. After a brief logistical scramble, organizers provided a replacement, letting Liu keep her well-earned hardware intact. As competitive sports and creator culture continue to intersect on the global stage, seeing top athletes proudly wear their fandoms on their sleeves is a win for communities everywhere. You can read the original reporting over at Polygon.
Tags: Gaming, Anime, Esports & Culture, Streaming
Original article: Polygon