Alysa Liu Leads U.S. Figure Skating Nationals After Stunning Comeback

WICHITA, Kan. — Alysa Liu, the two-time U.S. figure skating champion who retired at 16, made a triumphant return to competition Thursday, leading after the short program at the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Liu, now 19, scored 76.36 points, securing a 5.13-point lead over Bradie Tennell, another two-time U.S. champion. Defending champion Amber Glenn sits in third place. Liu’s performance included a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a double Axel, and a triple Lutz, leaving her visibly emotional as she finished her routine to Laufey’s “Promise.”

“I almost cried before my name was even called,” Liu told NBC Sports. When asked if her emotions stemmed from her clean program or her return to the sport, she replied, “Both of them together. It was just the perfect moment for me.”

Liu first made history in 2019 as the youngest senior U.S. champion at age 13, breaking Tara Lipinski’s record. She defended her title in 2020 and went on to place sixth at the 2022 Olympics, followed by a bronze medal at the World Championships. However, just two weeks after that achievement, she announced her retirement, citing a desire to move on from skating and pursue other life goals.

“I was so into skating that I really didn’t do much else,” Liu said. “Skating takes up your whole life, almost. There were many, many times when I didn’t enjoy it.” After more than a year away from the ice, Liu’s return has been marked by determination and a renewed passion for the sport.

If Liu wins this weekend, she will become the second women’s singles skater in the last 20 years to claim three U.S. titles, joining Ashley Wagner. Her performance also positions her as a strong contender for the U.S. team at the World Championships in March.

Meanwhile, Amber Glenn, undefeated this season, struggled with her opening triple Axel, two-footing the landing. She opted for a triple flip-double toe loop combination instead of a triple-triple. “The attack wasn’t there,” Glenn told her coach, Damon Allen, after her performance. Glenn, who won the Grand Prix Final last month, is aiming for her fourth podium finish in the last five years at nationals.

In the pairs’ competition, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea took a commanding lead in the short program, scoring 8.09 points ahead of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe. The duo, who won the U.S. title in 2024, are vying to become the first pair to repeat as national champions in 11 years.

“That was probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever done,” Kam said. “I didn’t take a single breath the entire time I was skating.” O’Shea, at 33, is already the oldest U.S. pairs’ champion since World War II and could make history again in 2026 as the oldest U.S. Olympic pairs’ skater since 1932.

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships continue Friday with the women’s free skate and conclude Saturday with the pairs’ free skate. The results will determine the U.S. team for the World Championships, with three women and two pairs set to compete in Boston this March.