"Alysa Liu wore a hollow smile on the ice. She had achieved a dream, skating at the Beijing Olympics at just 16, but in a mostly empty arena, few were there to see the moment. Perhaps that was what Liu secretly wanted. "It's not that I didn't want to be seen," Liu said. "It's just I had nothing to show.""
"Four years after shocking the sport by retiring as a teenage phenom, the Oakland native could win two gold medals at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. She is a title contender in her individual event that begins Jan. 17 as the United States tries to end a 20-year Olympic medal drought in women's singles figure skating, and she will skate Friday in the women's short program of a team competition the United States is favored to win."
""I have so much I want to express and show, whether that's through skating or just through my presence," said Liu, who placed sixth in Beijing. "It's exciting to think about that being seen.""
Alysa Liu returned to competitive skating after a two-year retirement and is positioned as a top gold-medal contender at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. She made an Olympic debut at 16 in Beijing but felt disconnected, performing programs and wearing costumes chosen by others while her father, Arthur, played a driving role in her career. The retirement gave her perspective and autonomy; she now chooses her choreography, music and costumes and skates to express her presence. Liu placed sixth in Beijing and could contend for an individual title beginning Jan. 17 while also contributing to a favored U.S. team entry.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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