Amber Glenn Delivers Redemption with Triple Axel but Falls Short of Olympic Medal
Amber Glenn rallied in the women's long program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, delivering a redemptive free skate anchored by a high triple Axel and a season-best international free-skate score, but the recovery was not enough to secure an individual medal.
Amber Glenn's comeback free skate: triple Axel and season-best lift her to the top of the leaderboard — briefly
Glenn opened the long program with a towering triple Axel that drew an uproar from the crowd and set the tone for what became one of her strongest competitive nights. She completed the free skate with a score of 147. 52, a mark described as a season-best for international competition, and posted a total of 214. 91 to sit atop the standings with a number of skaters still to skate.
Her performance was emotionally charged — she pumped her fist at center ice, shed tears in the Kiss-and-Cry and later reflected on the relief of finishing without a fall. Glenn skated to a medley that included "I Will Find You" and "The Return, " and her program components score for the long program was recorded at 68. 65. The free skate was widely seen as a strong, redemptive outing: not flawless, but a display of the athleticism and presence that have defined her season.
Short program errors and team-event strain left what-ifs that kept Glenn off the podium
Glenn’s path to the long program had been rocky. She entered the night in 13th place after a short program that included a failed triple loop element that was invalidated for zero points, leaving her with a short-program score of 67. 39. Those early setbacks forced a climb in the long program that, while impressive, ultimately could not overcome the initial deficit.
Her Olympic week also included a difficult showing in the team event, where she was assigned the free skate element and skated tentatively, a performance she later characterized as leaving many points on the table. The United States nonetheless claimed the team gold, but Glenn’s visible anguish in the team event carried into the individual competition as she battled fatigue and nerves.
Final placement, perspective and lingering 'what-ifs'
Despite the big triple Axel and the emotionally resonant long program, Glenn finished fifth overall after other skaters delivered near-flawless performances that pushed her off the podium. A flawless routine by a teammate ultimately took gold, with others ahead on the final scoreboard; Glenn’s 214. 91 total fell short of medal positions.
Still, her long program was framed as a personal victory: she said she wanted to recapture the joy of skating and to savor the Olympic moment. The free skate — punctuated by that signature fist pump and crowd adulation that included fans tossing stuffed toys onto the ice — underscored her competitive resilience even as she acknowledged the lingering "what-ifs" from earlier mistakes.
In sum, Amber Glenn’s night combined technical reward and emotional catharsis: a triple Axel and a season-best international free-skate score that showcased her capabilities, set against earlier errors and team-event strain that ultimately kept a medal out of reach.
