Alysa Liu Exits Figure Skating World Championships 2 Weeks Before Competition

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Alysa Liu
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NEED TO KNOW​

• After winning two gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Alysa Liu won't be back on the ice to compete at the 2026 ISU Figure Skating World Championship later this month
• Liu, 20, announced her decision in a post on social media, noting that she'd be back for the new season
• The athlete previously retired from skating after competing in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, but pursued a comeback that culminated in Olympic gold

Alysa Liu is wrapping up her season a little early after winning gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The 20-year-old Team USA figure skater picked up two gold medals while competing at the Games this year in Italy: one as a member of the team event and one in the women's singles event.

She was due to return to the ice later this month to compete in the International Skating Union Figure Skating World Championship, which takes place from March 24-29 in Prague, Czech Republic.

However, Liu told her fans on Sunday, March 8, that it was no longer the plan.

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Alysa Liu
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"As some of y'all already know, I withdrew from Worlds," she said in a since-expired post on her Instagram Stories. "There's been a lot of exciting things happening since my return from Milan, so I'm taking some time for that. I will be cheering everyone on from afar — see y'all next season!!"

Liu is now listed as substituted out of the competition on the ISU's lineup. Citing figure skating social media account In the Loop, Newsweek reported that she'd been replaced in the competition by 19-year-old Sarah Everhardt.

Per her ISU bio, Everhardt finished in fifth place at the 2026 National Championships, which would have made her second runner-up to represent Team USA at the Olympics. She shares coaches with Team USA skater Ilia Malinin — his parents, Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov.

Liu's reason for bowing out of the championships has not yet been made clear. Amber Glenn, who won gold alongside Liu in the team event, is set to compete as is their fellow Olympic "Blade Angel" teammate Isabeau Levito.

PEOPLE reached out to U.S. Figure Skating and the International Skating Union for comment on Liu's decision to exit the competition.

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After competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, where she finished off the podium in sixth place in the women's singles event, Liu briefly retired from figure skating.

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