Favorite Alysa Liu withdraws from U.S. figure skating championship due to COVID-19

Two-time U.S. champion Alysa Liu might still make the Olympic team despite having COVID-19.

Sixteen-year old Alysa Liu had to pull out of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships after testing positive for COVID-19 Friday.

Liu, a two-time national champion for women's figure skating, is considered one of the favorites to make the U.S. team for the Beijing Winter Olympics. 

After the short program, Liu was in third place behind Mariah Bell and Karen Chen. Liu was expected to move up with the final event, the free skate, or long program. There are three slots for the women's figure skating team.

Liu wasn't the only skater to come down with the virus. The 101` pairs champions, Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, withdrew Wednesday night after Frazier tested positive. Another women's skater, Amber Glenn, also withdrew later Friday after testing positive.

US Skating will select the team members Saturday afternoon and base their decisions on skaters' performance over the last two years, not just this year's national championship.

Any skater who tests positive for COVID-19 this week can still petition to be on the 2022 Olympic team.

The fact that Liu was the U.S. champion the last two years will help her case.  Liu's agent, Yuki Saegusa said that Liu will petition to be added to the team. 

Liu, a resident of Richmond, CA, is the only American female skater to perform a quad in her routines and if she performs at her best, is considered the U.S.  best chance of getting a medal in a sport dominated in recent years by Russian skaters.

In Friday's final competition, Mariah Bell came out on top, followed by the Karen Chen, who is from Fremont, CA. and 14-year old Isabeau Levito.

Earlier Friday, Hawaii resident Madison Chock and her partner Evan Bates came from behind by edging rivals Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donahu to win the rhythm dance competition with the free form dance competition still to go later Saturday.

The men's long form featuring favorite Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou is slated to start for on NBC Saturday to help determine who will be going to the Olympics. The men's finals will be held on Sunday.

In the pairs' competition, Sacramento's Jessica Calalang with partner Brian Johnson are likely to make the Olympic team after winning silver at the U.S. championship the last two years.

Right behind them, the team of Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov could find their way to the medal podium after the withdrawal of Knierim and Frazier.