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Alysa Liu’s Second Act: Once Burned Out by Skating, World Champ Now Setting Sights on Olympic Glory
After stepping away at 16 due to burnout, Liu won multiple major titles this season and aims for the 2026 Winter Olympics with renewed passion and perspective.
- Wednesday, Alysa Liu heads to St. Louis, Missouri for the U.S. Championships after announcing her return in March 2024 and is widely expected to represent the U.S. at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.
- Burnout and a desire for a normal life prompted Alysa Liu to step away at age 16 after the 2022 Beijing Olympics; college at UCLA and a Lake Tahoe skiing trip reignited her passion, leading to a Mount Everest Base Camp trek and return.
- Victories at Worlds, World Team Trophy and the Grand Prix Final followed as Alysa Liu won both programs at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, dethroning Kaori Sakamoto and becoming the first American woman to win since Kimmie Meissner.
- Coach Phillip DiGuglielmo praised her calm, saying `With Alysa, that doesn’t exist. I always say something is wrong with her brain. She just doesn’t get nervous` after she exerted more control over her programs and went through nearly 15 music versions.
- Her rise positions Alysa Liu, figure skater, as a central U.S. Olympic medal hope for 2026 Milan Cortina Games, reshaping U.S. figure skating expectations with a healthier outlook and international golds.
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How Figure Skater Alysa Liu Found Her Love for the Ice Again
After her retirement announcement when she was just 16, the champion figure skater is back and ready to make history at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. Here, the now-20-year-old tells Cosmo Sports how prioritizing her passion for skating changed everything.
Associated Press News+10 Reposted by 10 other sources
Alysa Liu's second act: Once burned out by skating, world champ now setting sights on Olympic glory
Alysa Liu has rediscovered her passion for figure skating after stepping away from the sport. She retired unexpectedly after the 2022 Beijing Olympics at 16, feeling overwhelmed by the demands of training.
·United States
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Total News Sources13
Leaning Left8Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Left
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Left
67% Left
L 67%
C 33%
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