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Amber Glenn’s goal for what likely was the last Olympic skate of her career was to regain her joy on the ice.
She certainly accomplished that — and will surge up the standings because of it.
Left emotionally devastated after one technical mistake in the short program Tuesday dashed her gold-medal hopes and plummeted her into 13th place, the 26-year-old Glenn rebounded with a near-flawless redemptive performance Thursday in the free skate.
When she was done with the seven jumping passes over the four-minute program, Glenn pumped her fist and pinched her fingers together while mouthing, “so close.” She executed a beautiful triple axel — her signature — as well as the triple loop that failed her just two days prior.
Glenn’s only mistake was on her final jump, touching the ice on her landing. The crowd responded to her emotions with a big round of applause she waived with both hands in gratitude.
Glenn’s season-best free-skate performance (147.42) pushed her combined score over 214 and moved her into first place with 12 skaters remaining. The giddy hug and surprised reaction on her face was a stark contrast to the scene of devastation.
“When I was little, I always imagined me doing a spiral and looking up and being like, ‘I’m at the Olympics,’” Glenn said Wednesday. “That’s what I want.”
It was a recalculation of goals from Glenn chasing a spot on the podium entering the competition.
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Glenn doubled a triple loop to mar her short program. The seven-point deduction and zero score on that script-required element effectively dropped her to 13th and was a worst-case scenario because the penalty would’ve been less harsh had she just fallen.
Even her beautiful triple axel that day couldn’t help her from the unforgiving nature of the judged sport.
The three-time national champion was reduced to tears as she skated off the ice and waited for the scores — one of the most heartbreaking scenes of the Olympics given all that she overcame during a hiatus in her career while learning to handle the pressure and scrutiny as a teenager.
Glenn is the oldest woman to represent the United States in singles figure skating at the Olympics since 1928.
“I have always been known to wear my heart on my sleeve, which is what makes me relatable, but it also makes it hard for me to hide how I feel,” Glenn said before the long program. “And in that moment, it was soul-crushing. Because I did the hard stuff, and it was the easiest thing, my favorite jump, that just got away from me.”
English (US)