Amber Glenn‘s prayers were answered Wednesday (7 January) night in St. Louis, Missouri.
The two-time and reigning U.S. champion – skating to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” – blew the roof off the Enterprise Center at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, thundering to a 83.05 to lead after the women’s short program.
Tense ahead of her skate, Glenn let our a roaring fist pump and then a flood of emotion at the finish, having nailed a clean triple Axel – the only of the women’s competition.
“I feel ecstatic,” a teary-eyed Glenn said after the win. “The score was huge. I was not expecting that.”
“That was one of my most enjoyable feelings competing – ever,” she added.
The 26-year-old is ahead of reigning world and Grand Prix Final champion Alysa Liu, who was captivating herself, at 81.11.
Another former U.S. champ, Isabeau Levito rounded out the top three with a 75.72. The trio marked a crescendo of strong skating for the evening, one of the highest quality in recent memory at a U.S. Championships.
The American women’s team has three quota spots for the coming Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026*, with Team USA set to announce their Olympic squad at the conclusion of the event on Sunday (11 January).
Amber Glenn: “I felt like I had something helping me today”
Having adopted the mantra “breathe and believe,” Glenn said the emotions were extra high ahead of her performance – the last of the evening.
“I was walking through my program backstage, and I felt just something with me, and I started crying before I even skated,” she shared. “My grandma passed away last year, and she was with me from day one in my skating. And I just felt it today. I’m not usually one of those people that says that… but I felt like I had something helping me today through the nerves.”
Glenn’s fate can often hinge on her gargantuan triple Axel, which she opens both her short and long programs with. Hers on Wednesday night was one of the best of her career, earning 10.51 points (and 2.51 Grade of Execution bonus points).
From there, she was steady across her triple flip-triple toe-loop combination, then on her final jump, the triple loop, too. She let loose on her step sequence, something the 2024 and 2025 U.S. champion had promised herself she’d do pre-event.
“I told myself like, ‘You’re gonna have fun in that footwork today,'” a beaming Glenn relayed. “Because I feel like I get so wrapped up in, ‘I need to do my job. I need you my job.‘ … [and] where I forget that I’m doing this because I love it. I was able to really just have a certain freedom [tonight]. Regardless of placement or score, I didn’t care at that point. I just cared that I really got to enjoy this.”
Coach Damon Allen said his job was to remind Glenn “to do what she does everyday,” he told Olympics.com. “Don’t do anything different,” he told her at the boards as she headed out to centre ice.
Allen said the tough part is now done for Glenn, who historically has struggled more with the short program. Friday (9 January) she’ll skate last again, with that third American title in-a-row on the line.
“We don’t reset – we just keep it going,” he said. “She likes the long program better anyway. She told me after, ‘That was great, but I’m so excited for my long.’ So we’re moving forward.”
