March 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Olympic champion Alysa Liu has withdrawn from the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships, the 20-year-old said on social media on Sunday.
Liu became the first American woman since 2002 to capture Olympic gold in women's singles at the recent Milano Cortina Games. The championships are scheduled in Prague from March 24-29.
"As some of yall already know, I withdrew from Worlds," Liu wrote on Instagram.
"There's been a lot of exciting things happening since my return from Milan, so I'm taking some time for that ... see yall next season," she added, without explaining further.
Liu had been expected to defend her crown after winning the 2025 world title in Boston, becoming the first American since 2006 to claim the championship.
That victory also marked a remarkable comeback, following her brief retirement after the 2022 Beijing Games.
U.S. Figure Skating said Sarah Everhardt would replace Liu on the American team for the championships.
Liu, who also helped the U.S. to gold in the Olympic team event, is the latest high-profile skater to skip the championships, with Japan's Olympic pairs champions Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi also withdrawing.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
