In what might have been her final Olympic skate, Amber Glenn set out to rediscover the joy of being on the ice.
And she certainly managed that. Her ranking is likely to improve significantly because of it.
After a technical misstep in Tuesday’s short program dropped her to 13th place and dashed her gold medal hopes, the 26-year-old Glenn made a stunning comeback with an almost flawless performance in Thursday’s free skate.
At the conclusion of her four-minute program filled with seven jump passes, Glenn celebrated, fist-pumping and mouthing, “So close.” She successfully executed her signature triple axel and a triple loop that had eluded her just two days prior.
The only hitch? She barely touched the ice on the landing of her final jump. But the audience’s enthusiastic applause indicated their appreciation for her efforts.
Her best free skate score of the season (147.42 points) brought her total above 214 points, placing her at the top among the remaining contenders. The joy on her face contrasted sharply with the earlier disappointment.
“As a kid, I always envisioned myself doing spirals and thinking, ‘I’m at the Olympics,'” Glenn shared on Wednesday. “That’s what I aspire to.”
For Glenn, this was a shift in her goals, having come into the competition hoping to stand on the podium.
2026 Winter Olympics
In the short program, Glenn made a mistake by attempting two triple loops. The resulting 7-point deduction and loss of points for scripted elements left her in 13th place. Ironically, a simple fall might not have incurred such severe penalties.
Even her stunning triple axel couldn’t mitigate the harshness of the judged performance.
As she left the ice, tears streamed down her face while she awaited her score—a truly heartbreaking moment considering the intense pressure she faced growing up and learning to cope with it, especially after taking a break from competition.
Amber Glenn is also the oldest woman to represent the U.S. in singles figure skating at the Olympics since 1928.
“I’ve always been known to keep my emotions hidden. It gives me understanding, but it also makes it difficult to veil how I feel,” Glenn expressed before her long program. “That moment was utterly crushing, especially since I managed to pull off the tough elements, yet my favorite jump slipped away.”
