Amber Glenn Olympics run in Milan: near-perfect free skate falls short of a medal
Amber Glenn Olympics hopes swelled and then stalled in Milan when the U. S. champion delivered a near-perfect free skate — including a triple axel — but her 147. 52 free-skate score and 214. 91 total left her in fifth place behind three flawless rivals.
Triple axel ignites Assago Ice Skating Arena
Skating from 13th position after a disastrous short program, Glenn took center ice at the Assago Ice Skating Arena wearing her Team USA warmup, looped once around the rink and drew a standing ovation from United States fans waving flags. Her opening element, a triple axel — a jump that virtually no other female skater attempted — landed and set the crowd alight. Glenn finished the free skate with a score of 147. 52, giving her a total of 214. 91 and the lead on the scoreboard with 12 skaters left to go.
Amber Glenn Olympics: redemption on ice, but not a podium
The routine was a redemptive performance rather than a flawless one. Glenn handed coach Damon Allen her jacket, clasped hands with him and began a medley of “I Will Find You” by Audiomachine and “The Return” by CLANN. She executed most elements cleanly but suffered a late bobble she described to herself as “this close. ” When the final placements settled, Alysa Liu won gold with 226. 79, Kaori Sakamoto took silver with 224. 90 and Ami Nakai earned bronze with 219. 16; Glenn placed fifth.
Team event struggles and the Blade Angels trio
Glenn’s problems began earlier in the competition during the team event, when she was tasked with the free skate element and skated tentatively, ending that routine in third place. She said afterward that she did not feel great physically, describing heavy legs and fatigue and noting she had been practicing intensely. Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito arrived in Milan two weeks before the event and were nicknamed the “Blade Angels. ” All three are national champions, and the United States still claimed the team gold for a second straight Olympics.
Glenn sat on the leader’s couch after her free skate and said she had “a lot of what-ifs” as she watched the remaining skaters take the ice. She called the individual free skate a strong, redemptive routine that fell just short of her highest ambitions.
The women’s singles competition in Milan concluded with the podium settled: Liu, Sakamoto and Nakai. Glenn finished fifth with a total of 214. 91 and a free-skate mark of 147. 52. The United States also secured the team gold for a second straight Olympics.
