Why did Alysa Liu withdraw from the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships after winning Olympic gold as Sarah Everhardt steps in

Alysa Liu surprised many skating fans after her name did not appear on the official list for the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships. The event will take place from March 24 to March 29, 2026, but the two-time Olympic gold medalist will not be there.

Just weeks before the competition, Alysa Liu chose to withdraw, opening the door for another young American skater to step in. Her absence quickly caught attention because Liu had just won two gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Many people expected her to lead Team USA again at Worlds and defend the world title she won in 2025.Soon after the list of competitors came out, skating page AnythingGOE shared on X that Liu had pulled out of the event.

With her spot now open, 19-year-old Sarah Everhardt will represent the United States. Before stepping away, Alysa Liu had already hinted that she might not compete. She said, “I have maybe World Championships coming up. I have yet to fully decide if I’m gonna do it, but I really want to.” In the end, the Olympic champion stayed true to the mindset she shared after the Games.

Alysa Liu sticks to her post-Olympics break plan as Sarah Everhardt replaces her at the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships

The 19-year-old already has strong results. She won bronze at the 2025 Four Continents Championships. She is also a four-time Challenger Series medalist, the 2025 U.S. national bronze medalist, and the 2024 U.S. national pewter medalist.For Alysa Liu, stepping away right now fits the message she shared after the Olympics. Even after winning two gold medals in Milan-Cortina, she made it clear that her happiness does not depend only on skating results.“I would have been fine either way,” she said about the Olympics. “I would have been loving life outside of skating just as much. But yes, I am really happy with how my life is right now.”After the Olympic celebration ended, Liu chose to slow things down. She said she planned to take a real break from training and competition.“I would.. definitely take that break..,” Liu explained. “Trying new things will definitely give you a different outcome.”She later shared how she spent the first few days after the Olympics. “After I won, [there] was no sleep…. I went home, and I literally did whatever I wanted for five days. I didn’t have any media, and I had no commitments, so it was really great. I got to see a lot of my friends again, and just relax and catch up on sleep. I skated twice just because I wanted to.”This decision also looks similar to what she did after the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

At that time, Alysa Liu was only 16 years old. She stepped away from competitive skating because she wanted to enjoy life outside the rink after spending about eleven years training.“I was homeschooled my whole life…I’m a very social person. I crave human connection,” Liu said. “All I wanted was to be with my family and friends at home, and live like a normal teenage girl.”During that break, she explored many new experiences. She attended classes at UCLA, got her driver’s license, went to concerts, tried skiing and snowboarding, and even traveled.Looking back at that time, Liu told NBC, “I got to do so many different things that I never would have done had I stayed in the sport.”Now, with the 2026 Worlds approaching, Alysa Liu’s decision once again shows the same pattern. After the biggest stage in skating, she chooses to pause, rest, and enjoy life before thinking about the next step.