Olympic gold medallist figure skater Alysa Liu has said she will sit out the upcoming season to fine-tune her technique but reassured fans she would return to the sport.
Liu became the first American woman since 2002 to capture Olympic gold in women’s singles at this year’s Milano Cortina Games, where she also helped the United States to gold in the team event.
“I always want to challenge myself in new ways, so my artistry and skating can evolve,” Liu wrote in a social media post, adding that she would take time to “recalibrate”.
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“It’s important to me that my sport reflects my personal growth.
“So fear not, I’ll be back, and in the meantime I’ll be rooting for my teammates near and far.”
In an interview with NBC Sports on Tuesday, Liu said she was planning to work on her “overall artistry, spins, jumps, everything” during her break from competition and intended to return in the 2027-28 season.
“I just felt this was right. So I’m trusting my instincts,” she said.
The announcement marks the latest change in a roller-coaster career for Liu, who arrived at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and finished sixth.
She won bronze at the world titles a few months later before “retiring” from the sport at the age of 16, saying that skating “takes up your whole life, almost”.
When she returned to skating she had a new look, with bleached stripes in her hair and a frenulum piercing — and a new approach and confidence that saw her win the world title in 2025 before gold at Milano Cortina.
Liu said her new approach to her sport and to life was more important than results.
Now she leaves to dream it all up again.
Reuters / ABC
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