Levito stepped on the Bell Centre ice for that free skate “overwhelmed and stressed.” When she finished her clutch four-minute program, she had an eye-popping look of astonishment.

The governing body of figure skating has embarked on an ambitious plan called “Vision 2030,” and the idea is simple: Make the sport cool again.

The USA figure skater was not able to train for three months as she recovered from a foot injury she called the "worst" in her career. While the time off was difficult mentally, it also gave the 2024 world silver medallist a new,

BOSTON — Alysa Liu is the first U.S. women’s singles figure skater to win a world title in 19 years, capping a comeback season after a two-year retirement. Liu, 19, had the top short program and free skate scores for 222.97 total points. She prevailed over three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan by 4.99. Mone Chiba of Japan earned bronze.

Liu became the first American women’s figure skating world champion in nearly two decades, dethroning three-time defending champ Kaori Sakamoto with a brilliant free skate Friday night. Her program to a rendition of “MacArthur Park” by Boston native Donna Summer earned her a standing ovation, and allowed Liu to finish with 222.97 points.