Who is Amber Glenn? Quick Facts on the American Olympic Skater Who Just Finished Off-Podium

Amber Glenn's journey to the Olympic ice has been defined by history-making milestones, resilience and a final skate that captured global attention. At Milano Cortina 2026, she skated with power and artistry, narrowly missing the podium but cementing her place in US figure skating.

Beyond the scores and medals, Glenn's journey reflects determination, identity and a commitment to breaking barriers. So who is Amber Glenn? Here are key facts about the American skater who has become one of the most recognisable names in her sport.

Record-Breaking Career and Team USA Legacy

Amber Elaine Glenn was born on 28 October 1999 in Plano, Texas. She is a 2026 Olympic Games team event gold medallist, the 2024–25 Grand Prix Final champion and a three-time US national champion from 2024 to 2026. She has also earned six ISU Grand Prix medals, five ISU Challenger Series medals and finished within the top ten at five ISU Championships.

Early in her career, Glenn won bronze at the 2013 Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic and the 2014 Junior Grand Prix in France. She became the 2014 US Junior champion and later the fourth American woman to land a clean triple axel in international competition. She is also the fifth woman to land a triple Axel at a Winter Olympic Games. Glenn made further history by becoming the first American woman since Michelle Kwan in 2003–05 to win three consecutive US national titles.

Upon her selection for the 2026 Winter Olympics, she became the first openly queer woman to represent the United States in Olympic singles figure skating. At 26, she was the oldest American woman to qualify for an Olympic singles team since 1928.

Early Life And Path To Elite Figure Skating

Glenn began skating at age five at an ice rink inside Stonebriar Centre Mall, where she was inspired to compete after watching Sarah Hughes win Olympic gold in 2002. Within a year she had landed an axel jump, and by age eleven she had landed all triple jumps except the axel. Her coaches, Ann Brumbaugh and Ben Shroats, described her as determined and athletic, though she sometimes struggled with perfectionism.

To manage the high costs of the sport, her father worked up to 30 hours of overtime per week alongside other jobs, while her mother worked at the rink and as a nanny for Glenn's coach to secure discounted lessons. The family bought used blades and costumes online.

Glenn was homeschooled from the second grade until her senior year of high school and has spoken openly about living with ADHD while competing at elite level. In November 2020, she revealed on social media that she worked with the creative team of the Yuri on Ice film during production in August 2017.

2026 Winter Olympics: Off-Podium But Historic

Milano Cortina marked Glenn's first and likely last Winter Games. She competed as the oldest US women's singles skater at the Olympics in 98 years. Her experience included a team event free skate she described as 'lacklustre' and an individual short programme she called 'devastating'.

Glenn began the women's free skate in 13th place with a score of 67.39. She delivered a performance that included a clean triple Axel and finished with 214.91 points, ending two places shy of a medal and inside the top five. 'I'm a fighter, and I'm resilient,' she said, adding, 'And you never know what's gonna happen, because I never thought I'd even be here.'

Following the team event on 8 February, she posted 138.62, which was 11.88 points lower than her score at the US Championships the previous month. She expressed relief when Ilia Malinin secured gold for Team USA. In the end, her final Olympic skate fulfilled a dream she had chased since childhood.