Liu finishes third at Junior World Championships
Alysa Liu of Richmond needed all of her big jumps Saturday to contend against the mighty Russians at the figure skating Junior World Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.
Even then, it might not have been enough to catch the stars-in-waiting as Russia continues to dominate the women’s figure skating scene heading into the Beijing Games in 2022.
Liu, 14, is America’s big hope after winning her second consecutive U.S. senior title in January. But even with a solid show in the free skate Saturday, the Bay Area teenager could not overcome two artistic, luminous Russian athletes as she finished third.
Liu was less-than-perfect on her first two big jumps but then rebounded beautifully to win the bronze medal behind Kamila Valieva and Daria Usacheva as Russian skaters finished first, second and fourth. Russians have now won 10 of the past 12 junior women’s titles.
“I was happy with my placement but my program was ‘meh’ — it wasn’t too good,” Liu said via a U.S. Figure Skating official. “But I learned a lot from this competition. Hopefully, it will improve my mental and physical strength.”
Two years is an eternity in skating but the three medalists Saturday are expected to get more international attention leading into the Beijing Winter Olympics when they will be eligible to compete on the senior level.
While the attention shifts to the senior World Championships next weekend in Montreal, the top skaters there will be watching closely as the youngsters progress.