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Her celebrity had already become so overwhelming Liu had asked her fans to give her some breathing room in an IG post this week.

While one of her coaches, Phillip DiGuglielmo, told me the day of Milan gala that she was planning to compete at worlds, he also wondered, "We have to figure out how we are going to train." And that was before she became a megastar in the two weeks since the 2026 Winter Games.

With no official announcement yet, Olympic champion Alysa Liu has withdrawn from the World Championships. You will see in this screenshot of entries on ISU website that Liu now listed as substitute and Sarah Everhardt moved into Liu's spot.

A thank you to all those who helped me do what I love: write about figure skating (and the Olympics) — Globetrotting by Philip Hersh And, now that I have finished posting the last few stories to my Blog, I can close the books on the 2026 Winter Olympics. (You can find all the stories here.) I want to thank NBC Olympics & Paral...

Closing my books on the 2026 Winter Olympics with a thank-you note.
www.globetrottingbyphiliphersh.com/home/2026/2/...

Alysa Liu did it her way Alysa Liu will leave the Milan Cortina Games to train for the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships in March, where she will aim to defend her title.

"She doesn’t want to be famous. She wants to be Alysa.” My story on the Olympic champion's immediate future.
www.nbcolympics.com/news/alysa-l...

With four Olympic medals, Kaori Sakamoto doesn't need gold to cement her legacy Ahead of the Milan Cortina Games Japan's Kaori Sakamoto was the favorite for women's figure skating gold. She took home silver, but not before bookending a career that has left her one of the most res...

As she leaves competitive skating, the Japanese star shines greatly. An appreciation.

Alysa Liu is the champion who can't stop smiling "When I see other people smiling, because I see them in the audience, I have to smile, too. I have no poker face," Alysa Liu said after winning gold.

“Alysa is different,” said Phillip DiGuglielmo, who coaches Liu with Massimo Scali. “We know she wasn’t here to win a medal. She was here to skate and to enjoy it.”
www.nbcolympics.com/news/alysa-l...

For Alysa Liu, competition is just 'pure enjoyment' The U.S. women's figure skaters, known as the "Blade Angels" reflect on their uneven short program outing, with renewed focus for the free skate — where ,"you never know what is going to happen,”

Alysa Liu saw that Amber Glenn was disconsolate. And when she might have been celebrating the strong skate that put her third, Liu was more concerned about helping her teammate. My look back and forward for NBC Olympics on 2026 women's Olympic singles.
www.nbcolympics.com/news/alysa-l...

Alysa Liu is doing things her way in pursuit of a gold medal Over the two seasons since Alysa Liu returned to figure skating, she has found happiness in performing for the audience rather than for the judges who decide what place she gets in competitions.

Alysa Liu now looks like the only one of the three U.S. women with a real shot at a medal. Being in that position would presumably increase the pressure on her, but it has become foolhardy to make any presumptions about Liu. My
NBCOlympics story
www.nbcolympics.com/news/alysa-l...

How Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara pulled off tear-filled comeback to win Olympic gold Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara were overcome with emotion after winning Olympic gold at Milan Cortina.

They held back nothing in the free, flying across the frozen surface of the Milano Ice Skating Arena, executing jumps and lifts and throws with aplomb and command and finesse.
www.nbcolympics.com/news/how-rik...

Halfway to realizing her improbable dream, Deanna Stellato-Dudek is not ‘going down without a fight’ By competing at the Milan Cortina Olympics, Deanna Stellato-Dudek realized an improbable dream that nearly became an impossible one two weeks ago.

The short program results say one thing. They don't say this woman of a certain age has succeeded in a 10-year quest. My story for NBC Olympics.
www.nbcolympics.com/news/halfway...

Ilia Malinin to compete at 2026 World Championships, agent confirms Ilia Malinin's agent confirmed in a text message on Sunday that Malinin "will do" the World Championships, held in Prague from March 26-29.

Here's my full story for NBCOlympics on Ilia Malinin's decision to go to worlds, according to his agent. And some comments by 1956 singles champion Hayes Jenkins about Olympic pressure. www.nbcolympics.com/news/ilia-ma...

Ilia Malinin's agent, Ari Zakarian, just told me Malinin "will do" the World Championships March 26-29 in Prague. Malinin has won the last two world titles and was a huge favorite for Olympic gold but finished eighth, after being, in his words, "overwhelmed" by Olympic pressure.

Many questions, few answers for Malinin in Milan Maybe it was a lot harder going into his first Olympics with enormous expectations than Ilia Malinin had imagined.

It's hard to make sense of the incomprehensible. My story forb NBC Olympics.

www.nbcolympics.com/news/many-qu...

U.S. Figure Skating will ask ISU to review system that led to ice dance judging controversy — Globetrotting by Philip Hersh U.S. Figure Skating intends to send a letter to the International Skating Union for a review of the judging system that essentially allowed one judge to determine the outcome of the 2026 Olympic ice d...

USFS will note that the judging system essentially allowed one judge to determine the outcome of the 2026 Olympic ice dance competition. My look:
www.globetrottingbyphiliphersh.com/home/2026/2/...

U.S. ice dancers Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik are 'here to stay' “It would be amazing to be on the Olympic team, but we want to remind everyone we are here to stay."

Need your figure skating fix on a day with none on the Olympic schedule? Want to know more about the U.S. ice dance couple who were a surprising fifth? Here is my profile of Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik from November.
www.nbcolympics.com/news/us-ice-...

For one-stop shopping of my 2026 Winter Olympics figure skating coverage, please go to my Blog, and you will be linked to NBC Olympics for the full stories.
www.globetrottingbyphiliphersh.com

Madison Chock, Evan Bates 'wouldn't change anything' after ice dance silver Madison Chock and Evan Bates skated their very best in silver place ice dance finish at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

“We've had an incredible career, and we've been so well supported by our families and our coaches and by each other,” Chock said. “Sometimes that's just how it shakes out. This is the story for us, and I wouldn’t change anything.”

www.nbcolympics.com/news/madison...

With all eyes on him, Ilia Malinin masters performing under pressure After some uncharacteristic errors during the free skate portion of the team event, Ilia Malinin returned to the ice and proved his dominance with a confident short program performance on Tuesday.

Team Malinin thought getting him out of the Olympic maelstrom would help the 21-year-old catch his breath. Malinin did his final practice before the short program 35 miles away in Bergamo, where U.S. Figure Skating had secured ice time.
www.nbcolympics.com/news/all-eye...

On Olympic ice, rivalry is replaced by respect U.S. veteran ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates went head-to-head with newly formed French team Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.

French couple defying time lines for ice dance success.
www.nbcolympics.com/news/olympic...

Team USA's path to Olympic figure skating team gold was full of surprises Ilia Malinin secured gold for Team USA in the final segment of the team figure skating event. But it wasn't the dominant performance fans have become used to seeing from the two-time world champion. M...

It came down to Ilia Malinin, and he delivered the points for Team USA to beat Japan.
www.nbcolympics.com/news/team-us...

Quad God Ilia Malinin just might be human after all Ilia Malinin came 2nd in Saturday's Olympic figure skating team event men's short program, 10 points behind Japan's Yuma Kagiyama. But the two-time world champion didn't see it as a loss, instead, he ...

On ice, of course, even the divine can slip into fallibility, as Ilia Malinin did, the quadg0d losing points on an under-rotated quad Lutz jump and a spin that did not get the maximum base value. My story for NBC Olympics.
www.nbcolympics.com/news/quad-go...

Alysa Liu competes at her second Olympic Games with joy Alysa Liu skated to 2nd place in the Olympic figure skating team event for Team USA on Friday. With distinctive style, and an air of unconcern, her personality shines through at her second Olympic Gam...

I am once again on the @nbcolympics.bsky.social team, covering figure skating at the 2026!Olympics. My first story on the competition

A friend asked if I thought USA athletes would be jeered at the Winter Olympics to protest the evil of the current president and his amoral minions. What do you think?

Figure skating officials weigh major changes in rules, schedule — Globetrotting by Philip Hersh nternational figure skating federation officials are weighing changes in competition rules that would alter the sport radically, including a potentially dramatic reduction in jumps in singles events. ...

You can call this a case of throwing out the baby with the bath water. Or you can call it the Malinin Rules. My exclusive:

Maxim Naumov fought 'tooth and nail,' earning Olympic berth after personal loss Maxim Naumov was named to the 2026 U.S. Olympic team after a confident 3rd-place finish at the U.S. Figure Skating Championship in St. Louis, Missouri.

“I wanted them to be there, in whatever capacity they could,” Naumov said of his late parents “I know I feel their presence when I’m skating.” My story for NBC Olympics & Paralympics

Maxim Naumov channels loss for powerful skate at nationals in Olympic bid After a 4th place finish in the short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Maxim Naumov is the mix to make the 2026 Olympic team less than a year after his parents and former coaches, Evg...

“It's all about being resilient,” Naumov said after Thursday's short program. “That's the feeling and the mentality that I've clung on to this entire season.” My story for NBC Olympics & Paralympics

Isabeau Levito rounds out the top three in an era of powerhouse U.S. figure skaters Isabeau Levito, the 2023 national champion, now finds herself in 3rd after the short program following a strong performance, a sign of the depth in women's figure skating.

“Isabeau was supposed to be the next one, the only one, but now we have three,” 2018 Olympic medalist Adam Rippon said. My story for NBC Olympics & Paralympics

Sophie Joline von Felten heads to figure skating nationals free from Olympic pressure Sophie Joline von Felten is a rising star in U.S. figure skating, one of the few capable of landing quadruple jumps and triple Axels.

As she debuts at senior level, my look for
NBC Sports and NBC OlympicTalk at this 16-year-old Swiss native, who now represents the USA. At age 11, she took on spinning legend Denise Biellmann in a variety show spin contest.