Olympic champion Alysa Liu withdraws from world figure skating championships

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Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu has withdrawn from the world championships later this month, an unsurprising move after she won the first Winter Games gold medal by an American woman in the sport in more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

The defending champion Liu would have performed alongside Olympic teammates Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito when worlds begin March 24 at O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia. Bradie Tennell was the first alternate but declined, so Sarah Everhardt will take Liu’s place on the U.S. team.

The 20-year-old 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 that 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 at the Milano-Cortina Games.

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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 of 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 off-season 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Among those who also have withdrawn from worlds are Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the Olympic pairs champions from Japan; Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii, the pairs team that helped earn team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 Milano-Cortina Games.