American Alysa Liu is the surprise leader after the women’s short program at the 2025 World Figure Skating Champions, just one year after announcing her return to the sport after retiring in 2022 at age 16.
Liu, 19, dazzled the home country crowd at TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday, March 26 by skating a flawless routine that featured a triple flip-triple toe combination, double Axel and triple Lutz. She received a score of 74.58, over one point ahead of second-place finisher Mone Chiba of Japan, who scored 73.44.
In addition to clean jumps, Liu’s program to “Promise” by Laufey included difficult spins and footwork, and a newfound maturity.
“What impresses me the most is the confidence that she skates with,” said NBC commentator and 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski. “It was the emotion… I asked her yesterday and she said, ‘It feels like I’m dancing out there, quite literally dancing.’ And that is what we get from Alysa. Just joy. Dancing on ice. It was perfect.”
What makes Liu’s return remarkable is that she retired from the sport three years ago at age 16, after competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics, where she finished 6th, and the 2022 World Championships, where she won the bronze medal. At the time of her retirement, she said she accomplished her goals in the sport — including being the youngest U.S. champion at age 13 and the first American woman to land a quadruple jump.
Liu announced her return to competitive skating in March 2024.
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Her compatriot, Isabeau Levito, sits in third with 73.33. Last year’s world silver medalist, Levito, skipped January’s U.S. Championships with a foot injury.
Reigning U.S. champion Amber Glenn is in ninth place after falling on her signature triple Axel, the most difficult jump a woman can perform in the short program. Up to this event, Glenn has been undefeated all season thanks to having the difficult jump in her arsenal.
Three-time and reigning world champion Kaori Sakamoto also faltered and is in fifth place after doubling her planned triple flip jump. The last woman to win four consecutive world titles was American Carol Heiss in 1960. The last U.S. woman to claim the world title was Kimmie Meissner in 2006.
At stake are berths for the U.S. figure skating team at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. If Liu, Levito or Glenn wins gold or silver, the U.S. will have three women’s berths at the Games. If two of them have a combined placement of 13 or less, say fourth and seventh place, the U.S. women will also have three berths.
“I felt pretty good about my skate. (Though) I haven’t watched it back yet, so that answer might change,” Liu said after her performance, per USA Today. “It felt very nice, kind of start to end − especially in my footwork.”
The women’s free skate, which will determine the medals and number of Olympic berths, will take place Friday evening.
The 2025 World Figure Skating Championships are airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
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