Olympic champion Alysa Liu has withdrawn from the world figure skating championships

WASHINGTON — Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu has withdrawn from the world championships later this month, an unsurprising move for the reigning champion after she won the first Winter Olympic gold medal by an American woman in more than two decades.

Liu will appear alongside Olympic teammates Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito when the worlds kick off March 24 at the O2 Arena in Prague. Bradie Tennell was the first substitute but declined, so Sarah Everhardt will take Liu’s place on the US team.

The 20-year-old Liu, who retired after the 2022 Beijing Olympics only to make a triumphant comeback two years later, became the first American woman since Kimmie Meissner in 2006 to win a 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 finished on the podium last month at the Milan Cortina Games.

Liu actually brought home two gold medals from Italy; he joined Glenn in helping the US defend its Olympic team title.

Liu quickly became a star, not only because of her success but also because of her attitude and style. After growing tired of the sport, he returned with a fresh outlook and happiness, and that positive spirit served him well amidst the stress of the Winter Olympics.

And with her signature striped haircut, which is supposed to mimic growth rings on a tree, and a prominent frenulum piercing, Liu eschews the “ice princess” styles of the past in favor of a look embraced by alt, punk and emo groups.

It is common for Olympic athletes to miss the following world championships. The season is quite long with the first event taking place early in the fall, and many choose to start the off-season early after the stress of performing at the Winter Olympics.

Among those also withdrawing from the worlds are Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the Olympic pairs champions from Japan; Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii, the team pair who helped win team bronze for hosts Italy; and Loena Hendrickx of Belgium, who endured an injury-riddled season and finished 14th in the women’s event at the Milan Cortina Games.

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