Despite being the defending world champion, Liu’s decision to retire comes as no surprise to figure skating insiders and observers after she became the first American women’s figure skater to win gold at the Winter Olympics since 2002.
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The 2026 world championships will take place about a month after Liu finished on top of the podium at the Cortina Games in Milan and he has been doing numerous interviews and talk show appearances to celebrate the victory.
(Join or Create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball League for the 2026 MLB Season)This wouldn’t be the first time Liu, 20, has valued his personal time and mental health over on-ice competition. She retired from figure skating at age 16, three years after becoming the youngest woman to win the U.S. championship when she was 13. Liu won American titles in 2019 and 2020. She was also the first American woman to perform a quadruple jump at the 2019 Grand Prix.
However, after competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics and the 2022 world championships, he decided to step away from the sport, saying it felt like a job.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t decide to retire for a while,” Liu told USA Today in March. “I’m glad I listen to myself and do whatever, because in the end it all works out.”
Liu regained his will to compete, reunited with his old coaches and trained while studying at UCLA. Last March, that comeback culminated in victory at the world championships in Boston. Liu’s victory was the first for an American figure skater since Kimmie Meisner in 2006.
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That became the precursor to Liu winning two golds in individual and team competitions in Milan Cortina. She became the first American figure skater to medal since Sasha Cohen won silver in 2006 and the first to win gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002. With that, Liu joined seven other American women in winning Olympic gold in figure skating.
Sarah Everhardt will replace Liu on the United States squad in Prague. She replaces first alternate Bradie Tennell, who also withdrew from the world championship, Everhardt will compete with Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito, who form the “Blade Angels” with Liu.
The world figure skating championships begin on March 24 at the O2 Arena in Prague.