Two weeks after Oakland’s Alysa Liu stepped up to the podium as the United States’ first women’s Olympic figure skating champion in nearly a quarter century, she’s stepping away from the sport for a bit.
The 20-year-old has decided to withdraw from this month’s world championships, which historically isn’t a surprising move for Olympic champs to make. Still, skipping the opportunity to repeat as world champ might provide a nice break for Liu, who has grown weary of the intense attention she’s drawn since winning gold at the Milan Cortina Games.
Last week, Liu complained she was bombarded with a little too much attention when she arrived at the airport in Oakland.
“So I land at the airport & there’s a crowd waiting with cameras and things for me to sign,” she posted on Instagram. “All up in my space.”
She said one person even went as far as chasing her to her car.
Liu would have performed alongside Olympic teammates Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito when worlds begin March 24 at O2 Arena in Prague. Bradie Tennell was the first alternate but declined, so Sarah Everhardt will take Liu’s place on the U.S. team.
Liu, who retired after the 2022 Beijing Games only to launch a triumphant comeback two years later, became the first American woman since Kimmie Meissner in 2006 to win the world title last year in Boston. She followed up with the first Olympic gold medal for a U.S. woman since Sarah Hughes in 2002 when she stood atop the podium last month.
Liu actually came away with two gold medals from Italy; she joined Glenn in helping the U.S. defend its Olympic team title.
Liu has quickly become a star, not only because of her success but also because her attitude and style. Once burned out by the sport, she returned with a fresh, happy-go-lucky outlook, and that positive vibe served her well amid the pressure of the Winter Games.
And with her distinctive streaked haircut, which is supposed to mimic growth rings on a tree, and prominent frenulum piercing, Liu has eschewed the “ice princess” style of yesteryear for a look that has been embraced by the alt, punk and emo crowd.
It is common for Olympic athletes to skip the following world championships. The season is long enough with the first events taking place in early fall, and many choose to begin their offseason early after the stress of performing at the Winter Games.
Among those who also have withdrawn from worlds are Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the Olympic pairs champions from Japan; Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii, the pairs team that helped earn team bronze for host Italy; and Loena Hendrickx of Belgium, who has endured a season marked by injuries and finished 14th in the women’s event at the Milan Cortina Games.
As for pressing a pause on her new-found fame, the Richmond-born Liu will be feted by her adopted hometown of Oakland next Thursday. The city is throwing a party at Frank Ogawa Plaza to celebrate her.
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