I was a competitive figure skater. Here's what the sport's mental health moment means for the next generation.

I was a competitive figure skater. Alysa Liu’s win was personal. It’s part of a watershed mental health moment for the next generation of skaters.

"Heyyyyy so I'm here to announce that I am retiring from skating.”

That is how Alysa Liu, in true Gen Z fashion, announced her retirement in a since-deleted Instagram post. The then 16-year-old had just finished fifth at the Beijing Olympics, and the sport was no longer fun. 

Four years later, Liu has completed a comeback story for the ages, capped off by her Olympic gold medal win in the women’s singles event on Wednesday.

On Feb. 19, a generation of skaters who have never seen an American woman on the Olympic podium in their lifetime watched Liu take gold. Even to the casual viewer, Liu seemed to float through the program, completing triple-triple combinations and dizzying spins with ease.

With it, she sent a message to skaters and viewers everywhere that mental health was a key part of her journey. It’s a watershed moment for a sport that in recent years has been plagued by issues with sexual assault, doping scandals and the epidemic of eating disorders among its athletes.