American Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu has decided to hang up her skates. Just two months after the Beijing Winter Olympics, the 16 -year-old announced she's retiring from the sport after "about 11 years on the ice."
Liu finished 7th at the Olympics but she's one of the more accomplished American figure skaters. She is the youngest women to ever win the U.S. national senior title at age 13 in 2019 and successfully defended her title in 2020 with a national scoring record of 235.52, becoming the youngest two time champion. Liu also won bronze at the 2022 world championships in France last month.
She started skating at age five and become the first woman to successfully complete a triple axel and a quad in the same program. I don't really know what that means but I know it means she's really freaking good.
I appreciate these young athletes that seem to understand there is more to life than sacrificing your body, health and mind to compete on the global stage. She had a really successful career and is ready to move on. My hat is off to Alysa and I wish her the best. I will miss watching her on the ice because she seemed to be the future of American skating. But I'm happy for her.