Support for a Fellow Olympian Amidst Disappointment
Amber Glenn stepped up for her fellow athlete during a tough moment.
Glenn, a prominent member of the USA figure skating team, defended Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto after she stumbled and lost out on what could have been her first gold medal—an honor that ultimately went to American Alisa Liu.
In a clip that circulated online, Glenn was seen crouching beside Sakamoto, offering moral support as the Japanese skater appeared to be upset in a backstage area. Given Glenn’s own experience with the distress of a mistake early in the competition that thwarted her gold medal aspirations, it was easy to understand her empathy.
When a cameraman attempted to capture the moment, Glenn stood up, blocking the shot and waving her hand to signal that this wasn’t an appropriate time for filming.
She then turned around, providing Sakamoto with additional comfort before stepping away.
Glenn later shared her thoughts on TikTok. She commented, “I know that’s their job, but if you obviously need the space, they’ll go all out on your business, which is wild.”
This particular Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina carried special significance for the 25-year-old Sakamoto, especially since she had expressed intentions to retire after this event.
Sakamoto entered the final segment of the women’s free skate in second place and had a genuine opportunity to clinch that elusive gold medal. However, she fell short—making a critical error during a triple combination and ultimately finishing second, 1.91 points behind Liu and 5.74 points ahead of third-place Ami Nakai.
Reflections on the Experience
Sakamoto expressed her feelings, saying, “I felt nothing but frustration. I can’t really say. I don’t remember what happened between the elements. I’ll have to look back and see.”
“I wasn’t that nervous. But… I think this is the end of my story. It hurts, I have to admit,” she added. “I came this far and couldn’t finish it. I can’t bear the frustration. I felt like my bronze medal last time was a miracle. This is frustrating, even though I have a much better medal now. It really shows what I’ve put into the past four years.”
“For that, I want to pat myself on the back,” she concluded.
Glenn, 26, also faced similar hardships previously, having experienced a setback due to a mistake in her short program that placed her in 13th with a score of 67.39.
She bounced back on Thursday, finishing fifth with a score of 147.52, stating, “I decided to do what I do best, which is enjoy skating. And that’s what we did today.”
