Alysa Liu Reacts to Becoming the Youngest Ever U.S. Figure Skating Champion

-Alysa, welcome to our show.

-Thank you. -Thanks for being here.

Are you a fan of our show? Do you watch "The Tonight Show"?

-Yeah, I do.

-You do? -Yeah.

-Do you stay up late and watch us?

-No. I actually watch it in my free time.

-You do? -Yeah.

-Like on YouTube? -Yes.

-What's your favorite sketches or things?

-Probably the Musical Wheel of Impressions.

-Oh really? -Yeah.

-Do you sing? -No!

-I'm not going to make you sing. Don't get embarrassed.

It's my first time meeting you.

Next time you come, I'm gonna make you sing.

Yeah. -Okay.

-All right. I got to say congratulations.

I mean, last week, you became the youngest in the history to be a champ-- [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ How do you stay -- How do you stay focused when you know you're having a good routine?

You're like, "Oh, my gosh.

I only got three more moves left, and then it's done, and I think I did perfect."

-Well, I stay focused.

I don't think about anything else.

I just focus on myself, and I tell myself that I still have more to go and -- Yeah.

-Yeah, but do you go like, "All right, I got four more moves left"?

You know, or, "I just pulled that one off.

Way to go, Alysa. You're the best in the world."

-I tell myself, "Okay, yay.

I did the first jump. On to the next."

And if I do that, I'm like, "Okay, next jump," and so on.

-Wow. -Yeah.

-Good for you. That's what you do.

Just keep looking -- moving forward, right, and doing it.

And then when you won, you were crying with happiness.

[ Laughter ] But what did your girlfriends do when they saw you, when they heard you crying?

-So, one of my best friends, she took a video of me crying, and all her family members were in the background screaming.

And she's like, "Your crying sounds so weird."

I'm like, "I know. I know."

I'm like, "Please don't show me that ever again."

[ Laughter ] -Yeah, I love it. That's what friends are for, though.

-Yeah. -Yeah absolutely.

Well, you were happy.

I mean, but here's what I love about -- Maybe I'm wrong, but I think your sport in general -- Everyone's very supportive of each other in the skating world because you're all basically on the same team.

-Yeah. -The United States.

But you're so small that you needed help getting up to the first-place podium.

[ Audience awws ] And they helped you up. -Yeah.

-That's -- That's sportsmanship right there.

That's awesome that they did that.

-Yeah. -Now, before you -- before you leave, I wanted to ask you about something.

I heard that you do something before you go out on the ice called "The Ritual."

-Yes. My ritual. -Your ritual.

Now, what is your ritual? Your coach taught you this?

-Yeah, my coach taught me this.

I've been doing it since when I was younger.

It's like, if I don't do it, I'm like, "Oh, no. I'm gonna do bad."

-Yeah. -So I do it every time.

Just to make sure I do well. -Can you show me the ritual?

-Yeah. -Okay. What do we have to do?

-Okay. So -- Whoo.

[ Cheers and applause ] So, you jump up three times, land on your right leg.

-Uh-huh, okay. -So, like this.

Go...one, two, three. Land.

-Okay, land. Okay.

-And then do it two more times. One, two, three. Land.

-Okay, gotcha. -And then do it again.

-One more time? Do it again? Three times.

-One, two, three. -I'd be happy just doing that, and I would be like, "Wow. I nailed it."

-Are you ready?

-Oh, wait. But then you look at each other?

Oh really? -Yes.

-You want to do all three and then this one?

All right. So, we're gonna go this way first?

-No. -No. Just right here?

-Yes. -How many are we doing?

-Just one. -Okay. Ready?

-Yeah. -Ready go.

-One two three.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Wow! Alysa Liu!

-Wow! Alysa Liu!

Congratulations, pal. -Thank you.

-Thank you so much for coming on.