Alysa Liu Is Taking A Break From Figure Skating, But Will Be Back For 2027 Season
Olympic champion and hero Alysa Liu announced she will be sitting out of the 2026-27 figure skating season, but will continue to train to return the following year. After having such a notable and successful run at the recent Winter Games, Liu wants to take time away from competitive settings to really reconnect with the sport she loves so dearly.
Liu announced the news on her social media this week, stating that she wants to “recalibrate” and further develop her skills away from the “demands of competition.”
“While people are announcing programs, imma take this time to announce that I will not be competing this season,” Liu wrote.
“I always want to challenge myself in new ways, so my artistry and skating can evolve. It’s important to me that my sport reflects my personal growth. I’m gonna take the time to recalibrate, fine-tune things & whatnot.”
“So fear not, I’ll be back, and in the meantime I’ll be rooting for my teammates near and far. See y’all soon!” Liu reassured her supporters.
Liu also spoke with NBC Sports this week to explain that she still is intending on continuing her work with her longtime coaches Phillip DiGueglielmo and Massimo Scali, specifically on her “overall artistry, spins, jumps, everything.”
“I really want to improve my skating and I wanted to take the time to do that for myself and just to evolve, and then I’ll be back after that is done.”
Liu is only 21-years-old and has already had an illustrious career full of advocacy and inspiration for athletes everywhere. At just 13, she became the youngest US women’s champion, putting an immense pressure on her future successes. Just three years later, she would retire right after finishing sixth in her Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games.
She cited the relentless training, attention, and fast rise to success in the sport as something that drained her, and made her no longer excited to skate, despite it being one of her favorite things.
Before the Milano Cortina Olympics, she reflected on how she really “hated skating” when she quit at 16-years-old.
“I didn’t care about competitions. I didn’t care about places. I didn’t care about skaters. I didn’t care about my programs. I just wanted to get away.”
During her time away from sport, Liu enrolled at UCLA where she studied psychology. She recalled memories of how she loved hiking in the Himalayas with her friends, giving her space to truly find an identity away from the rink.
When she made the decision to return to figure skating, she did it on her terms. Liu took control over her entire career, including her training schedule, diet, costumes, and music. “The results would no longer define the experience,” she stated, adding that her initial goal was to make the Olympic team and use figure skating mainly as a form of self-expression.
In 2025, she won the world championship, becoming the first American woman to win the title since 2006, when Kimmie Meissner earned the honor. This year, she won the Olympic women’s singles title in Milan, and won gold in the Olympic team competition.
Speaking to NBC Sports, she reflected on her journey and where she is now:
“Really the only word that comes to mind when I think about my entire journey is grateful. I think the reason why it’s been so fun is because I have my own agency. I really like to skate and so that’s why I skate.”
She made the decision to take a break from figure skating after reflecting on her emotional and physical state this summer, coming off the high of the Winter Games. Both her coaches supported her decision.
“Logically and emotionally and physically, this just makes the most sense. I will miss seeing the international computers at all international competitions, but there will be more, so it’s fine,” she told the publication.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
