Figure Skater Alysa Liu Stepped Away at 16 and Is Making a Comeback — Why Did She Retire?

In a since-deleted Instagram post dated April 9, 2022, 16-year-old Alysa Liu announced her retirement from figure skating. Five years prior, Alysa was described as possibly the "next big thing" in the sport by The Mercury News. She was about to compete in the junior division of the U.S. championship as the youngest in the competition.

Alysa, who was being homeschooled in order to maintain a rigorous training schedule, said she liked being different from other kids.

Before she could even legally vote in the United States, Alysa decided she needed a break from the sport that had consumed much of her life. This obsession began with her father's own appreciation of Michelle Kwan, but Alysa discovered she was a natural.

Then it was time to quit, but not forever. Why did Alysa Liu briefly retire? Here's what we know.

According to NBC Sports, Alysa retired in order to experience new things, things that we normal for most people. Because she was always aware of what her body was doing, Alysa constantly worried about injuries when she was off the ice. After leaving, she realized she was free to do things like go on vacation and trek in the Himalayas. During a ski trip to Lake Tahoe in 2023, Alysa told her friend's mother that she missed being an athlete.

"I think I want to try to go back to skating," she said.

Even though the two activities are loosely connected, skiing made Alysa miss skating. "Comparing them is a stretch,” she recalled, "but I was like, 'Skiing is really fun. Maybe skating is fun, too. Maybe I should skate a session and see what the feeling is like.'"

After she returned home from the ski trip, Alysa was calling her once-and-current coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo, to invite him to a skate session. By June 2023, Alys was telling Philip she wanted to compete again.

Fast forward nearly three years later, and she's competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. "This time just feels so completely different. I know who I am as a person now," said Alysa to the Associated Press following a routine that kept the United States at the top of the team event standings.

At the age of 20, Alysa is a much stronger skater who is enjoying making her own creative decisions, reports The Athletic. "I love being, I guess, noticed for things that I make or, like, my ideology," said Alysa. "People ask me about my mindset, which I’m really proud of it. It took a lot to get here, you know what I’m saying? And so I’m glad that I can kind of share it on a global stage, in a way."

She returned because she wanted to, and it was for the love of the sport. When asked what the biggest difference was between the 2022 Olympics and the 2026 Olympics, Alysa thought about it for a moment. "That I have creative ideas that I got to satisfy and show here today," she said.