After Costly Short Program Mistake, Amber Glenn Delivers Redemption on Olympic Ice

Three-time U.S. champion figure skater Amber Glenn entered the women’s short program during the Winter Olympics with legitimate medal hopes. She opened with a triple axel — a jump so difficult that virtually no other woman in the field attempts it — and landed it cleanly. Then, she made a mistake that erased every bit of that feat and then some.

On a relatively routine triple loop, Glenn lost her balance and doubled the jump. In the short program, that mistake earns zero points for the element. Just like that, she dropped to 13th place with a score of 67.39, more than 11 points behind Japan’s Ami Nakai.

“When you do a double in the short you get nothing,” Glenn said afterward. “It’s just, ‘oh it’s gone.’ You can’t go back in time. You can’t fix it.”

Amber Glenn Said Her Dreams Were 'Smashed to Pieces' After Mistake During Short Program

The devastation wasn’t just about the standings. Glenn later said her dreams felt “smashed to pieces” in that moment — not because a medal slipped away, but because she lost the joy she wanted to feel on Olympic ice.

The 26-year-old arrived in Italy riding the best stretch of her career. She has won the past three U.S. championships and collected nine victories over the last two seasons. This is her first Olympics after years of unmet potential, and she came in as part of a trio of American stars — alongside Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito — that fans nicknamed the “Blade Angels.”

Less than 24 hours after the short program unraveling, she was back on the ice practicing triple axels, determined to salvage her Olympics. “I didn’t skate and get off,” she said of finishing her short program despite the error. She fought for every remaining point.

Thursday night’s free skate offered a chance at redemption. Starting 13th, Glenn strode onto the ice to a roar from American fans waving flags in the stands. She handed her jacket to coach Damon Allen, skated to center ice, and let the music take over — a medley of “I Will Find You” by Audiomachine and “The Return” by CLANN.

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A season-best free skate from Amber Glenn at the #WinterOlympics !???? #olympics #iceskating

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Her free skate score of 147.52 gave her a total of 214.91 and, for a time, the leader’s seat with 12 skaters still to come. The climb from 13th likely proved too steep for a medal, with her finishing fourth, but the performance rewrote the tone of her Games.

USA gold medal winner Alysa Liu said after her win that Glenn, "killed it."