Figure skating-Olympic champion Liu to sit out 2026-27 season


FILE PHOTO: Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Figure Skating - Women Single Skating - Victory Ceremony - Milano Ice Skating Arena, Milan, Italy - February 19, 2026. Gold medallist Alysa Liu of United States celebrates after winning the Women Single Skating REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli/File Photo

Aug 26 (Reuters) - Olympic ⁠gold medallist Alysa Liu said on ⁠Tuesday she will sit out the upcoming ‌season to fine-tune her technique but reassured fans she would return to the sport.

Liu became the first American ​woman since 2002 to capture ⁠Olympic gold in women's ⁠singles at this year's Milano Cortina Games, where ⁠she ‌also helped the United States to gold in the team event.

"I always ⁠want to challenge myself in new ​ways, so ‌my artistry and skating can evolve," Liu ⁠wrote in ​a social media post, adding that she would take time to "recalibrate".

"It's important to me that ⁠my sport reflects my personal growth.

"So ​fear not, I'll be back, and in the meantime I'll be rooting for my teammates ⁠near and far."

In an interview with NBC Sports on Tuesday, Liu said she was planning to work on her "overall artistry, spins, jumps, everything" ​during her break from ⁠competition and intended to return in the 2027-28 ​season.

"I just felt this ‌was right. So I'm trusting ​my instincts," she added.

(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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