At 26, Plano’s Amber Glenn rewrites what’s possible in Olympic figure skating

In Milan, Glenn has already helped the U.S. capture the gold medal in team skating.

PLANO, Texas — Amber Glenn’s journey to gold at the Olympics is unlike anyone else’s. Her skating story began at just 5 years old, when the ice was simply a place to have fun.

“She started just skating for fun,” her dad Richard Glenn said. 

“We were approached by the coach, and she’s like, ‘She’s got some major talent.’” said her mom, Cathlene Glenn.

That early promise came with sacrifices, shared by Amber and her parents.

“We’d like to say we were good parents. We raised her well. If she wanted to quit 15 years ago, we’d been like, ‘What’s next?’” they said.

Amber Glenn went on to build one of the most decorated careers in U.S. figure skating — earning a Junior National Championship and three consecutive Senior U.S. National Championships. But success didn’t come without struggle.

“She had a lot of ups and downs and the downs were pretty low,” Richard said.

One of the toughest moments came in 2022, when Glenn was forced to withdraw from nationals after contracting COVID-19.

“She got COVID. It was a bad case too. It was bad,” Cathlene Glenn said.

The timing cost her a spot in the Beijing Olympics.

“Amber is very resilient. When she puts her mind to something, she sticks with it,” her parents said.

Rather than walk away, Glenn made a pivotal decision later that year: she stayed in skating and moved to Colorado Springs to train full time. Her comeback began to take shape, even as the odds mounted.

“You wouldn’t think 26 would be considered old, but in skating,” they said. “It’s been almost a hundred years since someone her age has been to the Olympics.”

Now, Amber Glenn is an Olympian for the first time. Her parents are heading to Milan, Italy, to watch their daughter realize a lifelong dream — with a little excitement about the trip itself.

On Sunday, that dream was realized, as Glenn helped the U.S. capture a gold medal in team skating.

“The food, the shopping! I’ll say those really quick!” Cathlene Glenn said. 

“We’re not gonna buy anything there, but we’re gonna look!” laughed Richard.

Cathlene Glenn admits competition days are stressful. She normally does not go inside the venue when she is performing.

“I enjoy going… he doesn’t have an option,” she laughed. “I promised them if Amber made the Olympics I would go in and watch. I will allow them to videotape and put a mic on me, but they will not be putting a heart rate on me.”

Beyond competition results, Glenn has used her platform to speak openly about mental health and her identity as the first openly queer figure skater.

“The more fight back she gets from haters, the more she realizes we need to be more outspoken until it’s normalized,” Cathlene Glenn said.

On the ice, she’s known for one of skating’s most difficult elements: the triple axel. She has one triple axel in both her short and long programs.

“She goes around three-and-a-half times…and lands on a tiny little blade,” they said. 

Richard Glenn told WFAA the impact a triple axel has on the body is like jumping off the 17th rung of a ladder.

In Milan, Amber Glenn will be the oldest Olympian to land the jump. Her parents say expectations are few and simple.

“For the rest of her life, she can say she’s an Olympian,” they said. “I want her, when she’s done, to be happy.”

Amber Glenn’s story is still being written — well beyond the Olympics.