Plano’s Amber Glenn has spent nearly her entire life chasing a moment like this. At 26, the North Texas native reached the pinnacle of her sport, earning an Olympic gold medal as part of Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan after a performance that showcased both technical skill and hard-earned resilience.
Her contribution to the Olympic figure skating team event helped lift the United States to the top of the podium and cemented Glenn’s place among the elite skaters of her generation.
A Crucial Skate On The Olympic Stage
A three-time U.S. national champion, Glenn skated the women’s free skate during the team event final, delivering eight critical points for Team USA. She finished third in the segment, trailing Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova, but her score proved pivotal. Glenn’s performance allowed the U.S. to pull even with Japan after the segment and remain firmly in position to contend for gold.
The skate did not begin perfectly. Glenn stepped out of her opening triple axel, one of the most difficult jumps in women’s figure skating and an element attempted by only a small number of competitors worldwide. Rather than unravel, she steadied herself and delivered the remainder of the program with confidence, avoiding major errors and maintaining control through the final moments.
“I’m happy I was able to fight through the program and stay committed to everything,” Glenn said moments after her Olympic debut. “I’ve been practicing here incredibly; I’ve been feeling really good, and I think I just had some fatigue, and I need to really manage that going into the individual event. But I’m really proud of the mental strength that I’ve built over the years to be able to get through some mistakes in the beginning and really fight in the second half.”
Team USA Finishes The Job
With the U.S. and Japan tied after the women’s free skate, the outcome came down to the final segment. American star Ilia Malinin took the ice for the men’s free skate and delivered under pressure, posting a winning score of 200.03 points. His performance sealed the gold medal for Team USA and capped off a dramatic night of competition.
In total, 16 athletes were selected to represent the United States in Olympic figure skating, including three men, three women, three ice dance teams and two pairs teams. The roster was determined by results across the previous two competitive seasons, with consistency and performances at major international events weighing heavily in the selection process.
From Plano Rinks To Olympic Gold
Glenn’s journey to Olympic gold began far from the bright lights of Milan. Born and raised in Plano, she first laced up skates in 2004 and spent years training at rinks in McKinney and Frisco. In 2022, she relocated to Colorado Springs to continue her development and train among the nation’s top athletes.
Despite the move, her North Texas roots remain strong. Glenn’s father, Richard Glenn, serves as a sergeant with the Plano Police Department, and the community she grew up in has followed her career every step of the way.
Now an Olympic gold medalist, Glenn’s long pursuit has come full circle — a lifetime of work culminating in a defining moment on the world’s biggest stage.
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