Alice Liu has returned to figure skating after a break
20 february 2026 в 22:13
Alice Liu has been familiar with figure skating since she was five years old, but she did something that not many skaters dare to do: she took a break. The 20-year-old Olympic champion from Team USA temporarily stepped away from the sport during her teenage years, and her comeback story has become a true sensation! So why did Alice leave the rink in the first place?
Hollywood Life details how Alice retired, returned to competition, and how her life is unfolding off the ice.
Alice ended her figure skating career in 2022 right after participating in the Olympic Games in Beijing. At that time, she was 16 years old.
Two years later, at 18, Alice returned to the ice and was selected to compete in her second Olympic tournament at the 2026 Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Alice temporarily left figure skating due to burnout and a desire to explore other aspects of life outside of the ice. In one of her Instagram posts, which was later deleted, the 2025 World Champion announced her retirement.
«I started skating at five, so that’s about 11 years on the ice, and it has been a crazy 11 years», - she explained at the time in her post, as reported by TV Insider. «I made this decision for myself a long time ago, well before the Olympics. My only goal was to make it to the Olympics. I’m only 16. I want to do something else».
In other interviews, Alice mentioned that she wanted to study and create memories with friends and family, rather than just eat, sleep, and breathe sports, as is expected of athletes.
Alice’s father, Arthur Liu, also commented on his daughter’s decision to take a break from sports. According to USA Today, Arthur said that Alice «became very unhappy» due to competing at a young age.
«She avoided the rink at all costs. She was injured», - Arthur said, according to the publication. «She was just injured. She had post-traumatic stress, and she didn’t want to go near the rink».
In March 2024, Alice announced her return to figure skating and shared what inspired her to do so in an Instagram post: a skiing trip!
«I haven’t felt that adrenaline rush probably since I stopped skating», - she explained. «It's so similar to skiing. And after I went skiing, I thought, 'Wait, let me get back on the ice and see how it feels.'»
Hollywood Life details how Alice retired, returned to competition, and how her life is unfolding off the ice.
Alice ended her figure skating career in 2022 right after participating in the Olympic Games in Beijing. At that time, she was 16 years old.
Two years later, at 18, Alice returned to the ice and was selected to compete in her second Olympic tournament at the 2026 Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Alice temporarily left figure skating due to burnout and a desire to explore other aspects of life outside of the ice. In one of her Instagram posts, which was later deleted, the 2025 World Champion announced her retirement.
«I started skating at five, so that’s about 11 years on the ice, and it has been a crazy 11 years», - she explained at the time in her post, as reported by TV Insider. «I made this decision for myself a long time ago, well before the Olympics. My only goal was to make it to the Olympics. I’m only 16. I want to do something else».
In other interviews, Alice mentioned that she wanted to study and create memories with friends and family, rather than just eat, sleep, and breathe sports, as is expected of athletes.
Alice’s father, Arthur Liu, also commented on his daughter’s decision to take a break from sports. According to USA Today, Arthur said that Alice «became very unhappy» due to competing at a young age.
«She avoided the rink at all costs. She was injured», - Arthur said, according to the publication. «She was just injured. She had post-traumatic stress, and she didn’t want to go near the rink».
In March 2024, Alice announced her return to figure skating and shared what inspired her to do so in an Instagram post: a skiing trip!
«I haven’t felt that adrenaline rush probably since I stopped skating», - she explained. «It's so similar to skiing. And after I went skiing, I thought, 'Wait, let me get back on the ice and see how it feels.'»
© Kolganov Andrey
