'Fear Not, I'll Be Back': Olympic Champion Alysa Liu Takes Break From Figure Skating Competitions

Olympic champion Alysa Liu has announced she will sit out the entire 2026-27 figure skating season, just months after completing one of the sport's most remarkable comebacks.

The 21-year-old American star revealed on Instagram on 25 August that she would 'not be competing this season', explaining that she wants to use the break to refine her skating and artistry.

'It's important to me that my sport reflects my personal growth,' Liu wrote, adding that she wants to 'recalibrate' and 'fine-tune things' while challenging herself in new ways.

Alysa Liu Steps Away From Competition

Liu's decision means she will miss the 2026-27 competitive calendar, including major domestic and international events, but she has made clear that the break is not a retirement as she plans to return for the 2027-28 season.

Liu will continue training while away from competition, focusing on her 'overall artistry, spins, jumps, everything'. She said the decision made sense 'logically and emotionally and physically' and that she was trusting her instincts.

Her coaches, Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali, supported the decision. Liu also plans to remain close to the sport and cheer for her teammates from the sidelines.

Alysa Liu's Figure Skating Journey

Liu began skating at a young age and quickly became one of the most promising talents in American figure skating. In 2019, aged 13, she became the youngest US women's singles champion and won the World Junior Championships.

She also became the first American woman to land a triple Axel in competition before making her Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where she finished sixth.

However, the demands of elite competition eventually led Liu to step away from the sport.

From Retirement to World and Olympic Champion

At just 16, she announced her retirement from competitive figure skating, bringing her first chapter in the sport to an unexpected end.

However, Liu's passion for skating unexpectedly reignited in late 2023, prompting her return to competition in 2024. This time, she approached the sport on her own terms, taking greater control over her music, costumes and training intensity.

Her comeback soon became a major success. In March 2025, Liu won the women's singles title at the World Championships in Boston, becoming the first American woman to claim the world crown since Kimmie Meissner in 2006.

She reached the pinnacle of her career at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, winning women's singles gold with a personal-best score of 226.79.

The victory made her the first American woman to win Olympic singles gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002. She also helped Team USA win gold in the team event, making her a double Olympic champion.

The extraordinary comeback also brought a new level of attention beyond the ice. Liu performed on the Stars on Ice tour, appeared in a music video for Laufey and attended Louis Vuitton's Paris Fashion Week show, while also adjusting to her dramatically increased public profile.

Now, rather than immediately pursuing more medals, Liu is taking time to develop her skating further.

'So fear not, I'll be back,' she told fans, signalling that her latest break is another chapter in her career, not the end.