U.S. Olympic figure skating star Alysa Liu has withdrawn from the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships just days after a disturbing airport incident that quickly made headlines.
After making history at the 2026 Winter Olympics last month, the 20-year-old became the subject of intense attention not only online but also in public. Last week, Liu described a frightening fan encounter at an airport following her return to the U.S.
Highlights
- Just days after describing a frightening airport encounter with “stalker” fans, Alysa Liu suddenly withdrew from the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships.
- Liu’s popularity has exploded since her historic gold-medal performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics, with her social media following surging by more than 7 million in just weeks.
- While some fans believe the airport scare played a role in her decision, the 20-year-old Olympian offered a different explanation for her sudden move.
The timing of her unexpected withdrawal has left fans worried and raised questions about whether the unsettling ordeal played a role in her sudden decision.
One concerned fan wrote, “Very sad she withdrew. I hope she didn’t. Can’t trust anything anymore. But with the way people react to celebrities now I wouldn’t be surprised. People are so unbelievably invasive.”
Team USA figure skater Alysa Liu described the terrifying airport incident, saying several fans invaded her “personal space”
Image credits: alysaxliu
Alysa Liu won the gold medal in both the women’s singles and team figure skating events at the 2026 Winter Olympics, ending a 24-year drought for American women in the sport.
Moreover, following her historic gold win, Liu’s Instagram following has surged by over 7.1 million, growing from roughly 211,000 to more than 7.4 million.
With this massive surge in stardom, the Olympian experienced an upsetting airport incident, which she detailed in a now-deleted Instagram Story on March 5.
Image credits: Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images
Image credits: Luffydude1
She wrote, “So I land at the airport, and there’s a crowd waiting at the exit with cameras and things for me to sign. All up in my personal space.”
“Someone chased me to my car, bruh. Please don’t do that.”
Just days after this experience, Fox News reported yesterday, March 8, that Alysa had withdrawn from the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, set to begin on March 24.
Image credits: alysaxliu
The news first broke when the International Skating Union (ISU) updated its official entry list for the Prague championships, showing that Liu had been replaced by 19-year-old Sarah Everhardt.
Reportedly, Sarah will make her World Championship debut after replacing Alysa, as she was the next eligible alternate after the first alternate, Bradie Tennell, declined the spot.
The 20-year-old Olympic gold medalist withdrew from the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships just days before the competition
Image credits: alysaxliu
However, many social media users speculated that Alysa, the 2025 gold winner at the World Figure Skating Championships, withdrew this year due to the airport experience she had.
One skeptical netizen wrote, “The pure FUN that girl was having during her gold medal performance (along with her talent) is why she won. It was so evident! Unfortunately now she's forced to retreat by the nuts out there! Sad, but who could blame her.”
A second user, in agreement, said, “You know what Alysa, I am with you. Your choice of mental health and safety over fame is the right one for you. Few of us can even comprehend the stress and anxiety you face on the world's stage.”
Image credits: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Image credits: 7Fill7
“She needs a security team- hopefully she has bodyguards to protect her from this in the future- of course this would be scary for anyone without adequate protection,” expressed a third.
These speculations were voiced in light of Liu being named to the official roster in mid-January to compete in the upcoming championship following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis.
On February 26, the International Skating Union even published the official entry list, which still included Liu as a headliner alongside teammates Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito.
Image credits: alysaxliu
However, shortly after the roster change was noticed, the 20-year-old confirmed the news on her Instagram Story, cryptically hinting that her decision was not fueled by the airport incident.
She addressed fans directly, writing, "Hellooo as some of yall already know, I withdrew from Worlds. There's been a lot of exciting things happening since my return from Milan, so I'm taking some time for that... see yall next season!!"
Fans suspected Alysa’s abrupt departure from the Championships was triggered by the “stalker” fan at the airport
Image credits: alysaxliu
Image credits: NyctophlieBoy
Many fans across social media argued that “it is common for figure skaters to skip the Championships immediately following an Olympic win.”
One person said, “it is actually very very common for top skaters to skip Worlds in Olympic years. She was widely expected to do so, and it likely has nothing to do with her post-Olympic experience.”
A second added, “Many of the athletes who competed in the Olympics withdraw from Worlds. Especially the winners, because they get media and sponsorship opportunities, and figure skating isn't an inexpensive sport.”
Image credits: teenvogue
A third user commented, “I believe there is a Champions in Ice tour going across the country - perhaps she wants to do that for joy instead of compete. Sad that she was chased but likely not reason for withdrawal.”
“When was the last time an Olympic champion competed in that same year's Worlds? I thought they generally don't compete.”
The figure skating season is long, beginning in early autumn, and athletes typically peak physically for the Olympics in February.
Image credits: jfairle
Newly crowned gold medalists, like Alysa, face an intense surge in media commitments and public appearances that can interfere with the rigorous training needed for another major competition just weeks later, leaving little time to recover from the Winter Games.
Notably, Liu is not alone in her decision this year.
“She was just traumatized,” said Arthur Liu, Alysa’s father, addressing her brief retirement from the sport
Image credits: LiveKellyandMark
Several other high-profile medalists from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina have also withdrawn from the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, including the Olympic pairs gold medalists from Japan, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, Olympic men’s champion Mikhail Shaidorov, and others.
Moreover, Alysa has a history of stepping back from the sport in the past following certain high-profile events.
She famously stepped away from the sport at age 16 after the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing to “live like a normal teenage girl.”
Addressing her brief 2022 retirement, Alysa’s father Arthur Liu recently told USA Today, “She became really unhappy. She avoided the ice rink at all costs. She's traumatized. She was just traumatized. She was suffering from PTSD and she wouldn't go near the ice rink.”
“I hope she doesn’t withdraw….. it’s what she loves….. she should be able to do that, no matter what,” wrote one netizen
