Alysa Liu on retirement: "I have no regrets... It's the best decision I've ever made"

Just over a month after U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu announced her retirement from the sport, the 16-year-old reflected on that decision in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.

“I have no regrets. I’m sure it would be the opposite, if I stayed in skating. I’d have regrets," she said, according to the interview.

Liu finished seventh at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games earlier this year and followed that performance up by winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in March for Team USA.

On 9 April, Liu took to Instagram to announce her decision to retire.

"I’m here to announce that I am retiring from skating," she wrote. "I started skating when I was 5 so that’s about 11 years on the ice and it’s been an insane 11 years."

With her main goal, competing at the Olympics, complete, American Liu says not much could have changed her mind.

“I made the decision for myself a while ago, way before the Olympics. My only goal was to go to the Olympics," she explained. “I’m only 16. I want to do other stuff."

That other stuff includes spending time with family, getting her driver's license, and applying for college.

“It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s purely for myself. I guess it’s selfish," said Liu.