For the first time in three years, 2018 Olympic team bronze medalist Bradie Tennell did not have to help the diminutive Alysa Liu to the top of the medal podium at the U.S. figure skating championships. That’s because this year, Liu didn’t win. No, it was the steady Tennell, 22, who regained her footing and found herself back on top of American women’s skating with the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games just 13 months away.
Liu, now 15 and struggling to manage a growth spurt amid the stops and starts of this pandemic season, finished fourth Friday night at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, not only behind Tennell, but also Amber Glenn and Karen Chen, although the difference between second and fourth was less than two points.