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Alysa Liu has known the ice rink since the age of 5, but the Olympian did something that is not typical of many ice skaters: she took a hiatus. The 20-year-old Team USA gold medalist briefly stepped away from competitive sports when she was a teen, and her story of returning has become an iconic one! So, what prompted Alysa to leave skating in the first place?
Hollywood Life has the comprehensive analysis of Alysa’s stepping away, comeback to competition and what her life away from the ice is like below.
How Old Was Alysa Liu When She Stepped Away From Ice Skating?
Alysa stepped away from competitive ice skating back in 2022 soon after taking part in the Beijing Olympics. At that time, she was 16.
Two years on, aged 18, Alysa went back to the ice and was chosen to participate in her second Olympics at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.
Why Did Alysa Liu Step Away From Skating?
Alysa briefly stepped away from competitive ice skating because of exhaustion and an urge to explore more aspects of life away from the ice. In a now-deleted Instagram update, the 2025 World Champion shared news of her stepping away.
“I started skating when I reached 5, so that equates to around 11 years on the ice, and it’s been a wild 11 years,” she voiced at that time in her caption, as reported by TV Insider. “I reached the decision by myself a while back, a good while before the Olympics. My singular aim was to compete in the Olympics. I’m only 16. I want to pursue other interests.”
In other conversations, Alysa noted she wanted to attend school and create memories alongside her family and friends as opposed to purely concentrating on the sport, as is typically expected of athletes.
Alysa’s father, Arthur Liu, also touched on his daughter’s choice to step away from the sport. According to USA Today, Arthur noted Alysa “became really miserable” with competing as a young adult.
“She made sure to avoid the ice rink at any cost. She’s traumatized,” Arthur voiced, according to the outlet. “She was just traumatized. She had PTSD, and she refused to get near the ice rink.”
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What Made Alysa Liu Return to Skating?
In March of 2024, Alysa made known her comeback to competitive skating, and in an Instagram update, she revealed the source of her inspiration to return: a skiing trip!
“I hadn’t experienced that adrenaline rush, I feel, from the time I’d quit skating,” she voiced. “It comes across so similar to skiing. And so, subsequent to skiing, I was thinking, ‘Hang on, let me get on the ice and see the feeling.’”