What Does Alysa Liu's Retirement Really Mean For Figure Skating?

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Two-time U.S. National Champion and 2022 Olympian Alysa Liu recently announced she was retiring from figure skating. Liu posted the news on her Instagram page not long after she won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships. What does Liu’s retirement really mean, though? The implications are hard to miss.

[The following is an opinion piece/analysis expressing the views of the author with facts to back them up.]

The 16-year-old was once the United States’ biggest hope in figure skating, poised to be the only one capable of challenging the Russians’ technical acumen. It was no pipe dream either. There was ample reason to be hopeful at the time. After all, Alysa Liu won bronze at the 2020 Junior World Championships behind Daria Usacheva, and Russian dynamo Kamila Valieva. 

Switching into seniors following a weird limbo for the sport circa COVID-19, Alysa Liu would return struggling to maintain her triple Axel. It is the same phenomenon that occurred to Russia’s Alina Kostornaia post-COVID. Liu never landed a quad during the 2021-2022 season, either. Liu was doing them in practice and spoke of being inspired by the Russian ladies in a Sports Illustrated profile.

A Lot Has Changed Since Then

Alysa Liu will not be sticking around to see if she can land a quad in senior competition. Liu’s first senior season will also be her last. Meanwhile, Liu’s one-time inspiration, the Russian women, who took the top two spots at the 2022 Olympics, have seen brighter days. A questionable “scandal” has revoked much of the goodwill built around Russian women’s figure skating accomplishments by her competitors.

The 2022 World Figure Skating Championships banned the Russians from competing, and China sent no athletes. There is no indication that the ban on Russian athletes will ever be lifted, which means other countries finally have a realistic chance to reach the podium in ladies’ figure skating for the first time in 8 years. Hence, Alysa Liu’s timing is surprising, especially coming on the heels of a World bronze.

With the banishment of the Russian women, Alysa Liu and others have a shot at a top international finish again. Thus, you cannot blame the Russians’ presence and claims of not having “clean sport” for why Liu has chosen to retire. If what the critics say is true, the sport has never had a better environment to flourish. Non-Russian feds have a chance to succeed with the competition out of the way. 

So, What Is Going on Here?

According to Figure Skating Twitter, all non-Russian figure skaters retire at 25+ years old. An American retiring at only 16-years-old and after one Olympic Games does not fit into their math. Let alone the fact that Alysa Liu lost the consistency of her triple Axel and ability to do quads by 16. The self-proclaimed experts have said that the curse only befalls students of Eteri Tutberidze.

Well, apparently, it does not. Alysa Liu was not coached by Eteri Tutberidze at any point in her career. Regardless, Liu accomplished impressive feats at an early age. Liu’s technical acumen pushed her fellow competitors in the national circuit. With the aid of her triple Axel, Liu won the U.S. National Championships twice, besting all of her senior competitors. Figure Skating Twitter did not have much of a problem with that.

They are currently circling hope for the age limit to get raised. Would that have kept Alysa Liu competing longer? Figure Skating Twitter is convinced that needs to be done to extend skaters’ careers. I am verklempt as to how it would have helped Liu and others who decide it is simply time to move on with their lives. 

Teenagers are not bound to pursue what they loved when they were children. It is a rare person who remains devoted to it. Figure Skating Twitter demands that kids stay committed until they are 25 or skating needs to change. According to these same people, the only reason that someone retires before 25 and after one Olympics is that they can no longer move due solely to Eteri Tutberidze and her coaching methods.

Olympics Channel / YouTube Screenshot

Is Eteri Tutberidze to Blame?

The persistent allegation is that all of her students are immobile and have to use a wheelchair for the remainder of their life. Daria Usacheva is out of a wheelchair, by the way. Their claims persist despite 2018 Olympic champion and Eteri Tutberidze pupil, Alina Zagitova, retiring without any such health issue. In her Instagram post, Alysa Liu did not cite injury as the cause of her retirement. 

It sounds as though Liu, like any teenager, has other things she wants to pursue. If Liu’s exact Instagram post were published by a female Russian skater, online “fans” would have torn it apart online. Figure Skating Twitter would have sharpened their pitchforks claiming the early retirement was the result of injury and other harm caused by the treatment of the skater’s coaches.

Alysa Liu’s announcement was met with far less furor. Liu’s decision indicates that an interest in figure skating until your 25-years-old is not for everyone. Some athletes want to move on with their lives, especially when there is room for FOMO (fear of missing out). Why would they be immune to it?

Figure skating is as demanding a sport as any. Ballet is the only art form that comes close. Figure skating is a punishing sport that requires countless hours of devoted seclusion with fellow skaters and physical punishment for mere minutes of unassured glory. You have to love it as Anna Shcherbakova clearly does to endure a broken leg and still battle back to eventually win an Olympic gold medal.

Final Thoughts

There is obviously nothing wrong with Alysa Liu deciding to retire from figure skating. It is also clear that reasons for retiring are not always far off from what Irina Slutskaya has asserted when it comes to Russian women in an interview with sport24.ru (via FS-Gossips). That they simply pursue other opportunities. Liu’s decision bolsters this despite couch critics’ claims to the contrary.

So-called figure skating “fans” (they are “fanatical” about something) have to admit that a lack of long-term skating careers is not exclusive to Russians. Alysa Liu, like Alina Zagitova before her, can undoubtedly see the wave of American talent on the horizon. At long last, the U.S. is finally embracing more difficult technical content after relentlessly attempting to downplay Russia’s accomplishments in this regard.

Isabeau Levito, who won the silver medal at the 2022 U.S. National Championships, previewed the future. Lindsay Thorngren, who won two stops on the 2021-2022 Junior Grand Prix circuit, is another sign of U.S. Figure Skating’s hopes. The same wave that Alina Zagitova saw coming with the 3As (Anna Shcherbakova, Alina Kosternaia, and Alexandra Trusova) is happening in the United States.

Whether critics of figure skating like it or not, the sport must change. It needs to embrace loftier heights than the days of Sonja Henie if it wants to continue. Evolve or cease to exist. There are some who prefer the latter than to have a skater do a triple Axel. Here is hoping they do not get their wish. 

Now that Alysa Liu has ushered in a new era of U.S. figure skating and other federations have a chance to catch up, there will be an embracing of this necessary revolution. After all, if the Americans are able to do it, consistent triple Axels and quads in senior female figure skating will probably become quite chic. 

When and if the Russians return, the U.S. and others could have the technical ability to challenge them. They will need to use the time they have working on the elements, and finally admit, it is time to embrace change. It is unclear if any federations are willing to do that. Time will tell if that is somewhat accurate. For now, USFS must deal with losing the talent of Alysa Liu.