Fremont’s Liu, 19, dethroned three-time defending champion Kaori Sakamoto after coming out of a two year hiatus.

After the Americans' showing Friday, for the first time since 2002, when Michelle Kwan was reigning world champ, an American woman will be favored going into the Olympic Games.

After competing in the 2022 Beijing Olympics and winning a bronze medal at the World Championships that winter, 16-year-old Alysa Liu retired from ice skating, worn out from the sport. Turns out it was an extended break instead.