Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu is taking a break from figure skating. The 2026 Milan Cortina star announced on social media that she will take the rest of the 2026-27 figure skating season off before returning for the 2027-28 season. “While people are announcing programs, imma take this tim e to announce that I will not be competing this season,” Liu wrote in an Instagram post. “I always want to challenge myself in new ways, so my artistry skating can evolve. It’s important to me that my sport reflects my personal growth. I’m gonna take the time to recalibrate, fine-tune things whatnot. So fear not, I’ll be back, in the meantime I’ll be rooting for my teammates near far. See yall soon!!” It’s been a whirlwind year for the Bay Area native, who was raised in Oakland. In February, Liu became the first American woman to win Olympic singles gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002. That breakout performance led to incredible opportunities off the ice, including sharing a moment with Taylor Swift, appearing in a music video for Laufey and attending the Louis Vuitton show at Paris Fashion Week. This isn’t the first time that Liu is stepping away from figure skating, but she didn’t have any plans to return the last time she did it. Following her 2022 Olympic debut, Liu retired at age 16 before returning unexpectedly two years later with a newfound love for the sport. Liu, now 21, dominated upon returning from her brief retirement. She won gold at the women’s world championships in 2025 before her Olympic run earlier this year. It’s unclear exactly where Liu will return to competition, but the earliest would be in July 2027. She had previously been scheduled to compete at Saatva Skate America from Nov. 13-15 in Everett, Washington. 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Mar 2 Alysa Liu has advice for parents pushing kids to stay in sports: ‘Don't' 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Feb 25 U.S. gold medalist Alysa Liu honored with mural in Los Angeles. See the design 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Mar 4 Oakland's Olympic champ Alysa Liu surprises Jimmy Fallon, gifts him iconic wig ...read more read less