Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu is stepping away from competitive figure skating for the upcoming season, but she says the break is temporary.
Liu, 21, announced on Tuesday, August 25, that she will not compete next season following her successful run at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
“To my supporters, while people are announcing programs, imma take this time to announce that I will not be competing this season,” Liu wrote on Instagram.
The Team USA skater explained that she plans to use the time away to find balance, continue growing personally and eventually return to competition with a renewed approach.
“I always want to challenge myself in new ways, so my artistry & skating can evolve,” she wrote. “It’s important to me that my sport reflects my personal growth.”
Liu emphasized that the announcement should not be viewed as another retirement.
“I’m gonna take the time to recalibrate, fine-tune things & whatnot,” she continued. “So fear not, I’ll be back, & in the meantime I’ll be rooting for my teammates near & far. See yall soon!!”
The upcoming break is not Liu’s first time stepping away from the sport.
After beginning skating at age 5, Liu quickly emerged as one of the most promising athletes in American figure skating. At 13, she won the U.S. Figure Skating championship, becoming the youngest skater ever to claim the title.
Three years later, after representing Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Liu announced her retirement at age 16.
She remained away from competition for two seasons before revealing in March 2024 that she planned to return.
That comeback ultimately led Liu back to the Olympic stage. At the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, she won gold as part of the U.S. team alongside Amber Glenn, Ilia Malinin, Ellie Kam, Daniel O’Shea, Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
Liu later won the women’s individual figure skating title, finishing ahead of Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai. According to the supplied report, the victory marked the first U.S. Olympic gold in women’s individual figure skating since 2002.
Despite the magnitude of the moment, Liu also earned attention for maintaining her playful personality. After her individual victory, she went viral for asking, “Where’s my lipstick?” before heading to the podium.
She eventually found her Rare Beauty lip product and applied it before receiving her medal, prompting Selena Gomez to celebrate Liu’s viral moment on Instagram.
Now, after another major chapter in her skating career, Liu says she is choosing to step away temporarily and “recalibrate” before returning to competition.
