MILAN — With the two gold medals around her neck, Alysa Liu looks comfortable being an Olympic champion figure skater. She sounds less comfortable about something else.

"I don't know if I really want to be a role model, I would say," Liu remarked during a small group interview that included USA TODAY Sports. "But I guess I am. So if anything, I just urge people to spend time with themselves, try new things, different things, just to gain experience and then decide for themselves what they want to do.

"Taking breaks is OK, and yeah, sometimes taking a step back is what's needed to see the full picture."

Liu famously "retired" from skating at 16 and made a comeback after a two-year hiatus.

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