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Figure skating-Olympic champion Liu to sit out 2026-27 season

By Thomson Reuters Aug 25, 2026 | 9:57 PM

Aug 26 (Reuters) – Olympic gold medallist Alysa Liu said on Tuesday she will sit out the ​upcoming season to fine-tune her ‌technique but reassured fans she would return to the sport.

Liu became the first American woman since 2002 to capture Olympic gold ‌in ​women’s singles at ⁠this year’s Milano Cortina ⁠Games, where she also helped the United States to gold in the team event.

“I always want to ​challenge myself in new ways, so my artistry and skating can ⁠evolve,” Liu wrote in ⁠a social media post, ​adding that she would take time to “recalibrate”.

“It’s ​important to me that my sport ‌reflects my personal growth.

“So fear not, I’ll be back, and in the meantime I’ll be rooting for ⁠my teammates near and far.”

In an interview with NBC Sports on Tuesday, Liu said she ⁠was ‌planning to work on ⁠her “overall artistry, spins, jumps, everything” ​during ‌her break from competition and ​intended to ⁠return in the 2027-28 season.

“I just felt this was right. So I’m trusting my instincts,” she added.

(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by ​Peter Rutherford)