The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics were a roller-coaster ride for United States figure skater Amber Glenn. After missing the 2022 Beijing Games because of COVID-19, Glenn entered her first Olympics with extremely high hopes.
Glenn became an Olympic gold medalist after she helped Team USA finish first in the team event. However, the three-time U.S. national champion came up short in the women’s short program. Glenn committed a major error during her routine, which virtually eliminated her from medal contention in the free skate.
Before leaving the Winter Games, the 26-year-old opened up about her mistake. While Glenn knows she could have done better, she also leaves Italy with her head held high.
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Glenn started off her short program routine strongly. She landed a triple axel, one of the most technically difficult jumps in the sport. The Plano, Texas, native, however, made a mistake in her triple loop attempt.
Glenn mistimed her takeoff. She completed just two rotations instead of three, which meant she scored a zero on the jump. Glenn lost more than seven points because of her critical error, dropping her to 13th place in the standings.
Glenn addressed the mistake in a recent interview.
"Looking back on my Olympic experience, I have had so many ups and downs in not just my Olympic experience, but my skating career," she said. "I made one mistake in the short [program]. Like, one major mistake."
She added, "I do that stupid jump in training so easy. Like, it's not something that's hard. It's not like I went into it being, like, 'Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.' I just really lost my balance for a second. And things happen. We're human."
Despite her disappointing performance, Glenn still qualified for the free skate. She turned in her best performance of the Winter Games to score 147.52 points, her season high. This brought up Glenn’s total to 214.91, which was good enough for fifth in the final standings.
Glenn said that she felt she “took command of the ice” in the free skate. She holds no regrets.
"Getting to go out, and rather than just hope for perfection, I was able to enjoy the moment," she said. "It was something that will be with me forever. And I'm so grateful for that."
At 26, this year’s Games were likely the last time Glenn performed on the Olympic stage.