Oakland celebrates California’s own Olympic champion, Alysa Liu
Fans come out to the City of Oakland celebration of Olympic Gold medalist figure skater Alysa Liu on March 12.
Alysa Liu is taking a break from figure skating.
The 2026 Winter Olympics gold medalist announced Tuesday, Aug. 25 she will not be competing in the 2026-27 season.
“While people are announcing programs, imma take this time to announce that I will not be competing this season,” she posted on Instagram. “I always want to challenge myself in new ways, so my artistry & skating can evolve. It’s important to me that my sport reflects my personal growth. I’m gonna take the time to recalibrate, fine-tune things & whatnot. So fear not, I’ll be back, & in the meantime I’ll be rooting for my teammates near & far. See yall soon!!”
While it’s a decision many in the figure skating world are disappointed by, it’s not a surprise for Liu. She captivated the globe when she won gold in women’s singles in Milano Cortina in February, becoming the first American woman to win the Olympic championship since Sarah Hughes in 2002.
The win brought sudden popularity to the 21-year-old, and she’s capitalized on it, appearing at high-profile events and earning several endorsements. Because of it, she hasn’t skated competitively since the Olympics, including skipping the world championships in March, with her only performances coming in the Stars on Ice tour that took place in April and May.
Liu told USA TODAY Sports in May she wanted to compete in the upcoming season, but it depended on whether she would have an appropriate amount of time and training to prepare for it. The summer is when skaters work on their upcoming programs, and she planned more events as well as a vacation with family, not giving much time to prepare for the season.
“I will have to take a look at everything, because I haven’t been able to talk with my coaches and whatnot,” she had said.
The International Skating Union anticipated Liu competing, as she was set to be in Skate America 2026 in November, but ultimately, she decided to take a break.
This won’t be the first post-Olympics break Liu takes. However, this will be different than the first one. She retired from the sport after the 2022 Winter Olympics. This time, she does plan to be back on the ice for the 2027-28 campaign.
“If I don’t do this season, I’m definitely going to do next season,” she had told USA TODAY Sports.
Liu is not the only gold-medal-winning figure skater to take a break in 2026-27. Ice dance pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates have also announced they will take the season off.