American Alysa Liu produced the best performance of her career to lead the women's field after the short programme at the World Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday, as the sport's biggest event ahead of the 2026 Olympics kicked off in Boston. Liu won bronze at the championships three years ago but has her eye on the top of the podium this time around after judges rewarded her with a career-best score of 74.58 to lead Japan's Mone Chiba (73.44) ahead of Friday's free skate. American