Alysa Liu vaults to shock lead at figure skating worlds with statement program

• American leads after short at worlds as favorites falter
• Japan's Chiba second, USA's Levito third entering free
• Interview: Liu on her remarkable comeback to skating

Alysa Liu became the youngest ever US figure skating champion at 13 years old before vanishing from the sport at 16, uncertain if she'd ever return. Now, at 19, she's back - and suddenly within touching distance of a world title that no American woman has claimed in nearly two decades.

On the opening afternoon of the world figure skating championships, the teenager from Clovis, California, delivered a career-best short program that not only captivated the home crowd at TD Garden, but vaulted her into the lead with 74.58 points - her highest international score to date. Her emotional performance to the song Promise by Laufey and Dan Wilson enamored the crowd and left Liu blinking back tears as she exited the ice.