‘If there was no one on Earth, I would still skate’: Alysa Liu on her remarkable figure skating comeback

She was the youngest ever US figure skating champion at 13 before leaving it all behind. Now Alysa Liu is back at this week's world championships with a renewed purpose

Alysa Liu looks back on the ice as rotates on her left foot, picking up speed before she completes her triple flip-triple toe combination. A group of high schoolers on a field trip sitting in the stands erupts into applause. She gives a smile and small bow as she skates away. It's a recovery day for her, starting with dynamic stretching and cardio before moving onto the ice with her jumps, spins, and footwork. She drives herself to the rink for a two-hour skating session. Later this afternoon, she plans to attend her brother's basketball game.

If you had asked Liu a year and a half ago if she would be preparing for another figure skating world championships, she would have told you that you were crazy.