Amber Glenn wished to embrace the combination of composure and hard work that earned Alysa Liu an Olympic gold medal in Milan on Feb. 19, 2026. Glenn had one of the greatest comebacks of the Games this year, improving her 13th-place finish to fifth after her free skate.
Liu, on the other hand, catapulted herself from bronze to gold after a performance that was a treat to the eyes. It marked her first Olympic achievement after returning from a two-year retirement.
Amber Glenn Wishes to Embrace What Earned Alysa Liu a Gold Medal
Glenn broke into the elite skating scene at a later age, but soon emerged as one of the top prospects for an Olympic medal from Team USA. She won her first international medal in the 2019-20 season and worked her way to her first Grand Prix medal in 2022, but it was not until 2024 that she won her first National title in women’s singles.
She repeated her feat in 2025 and 2026 and subsequently booked her spot on the Milan-Cortina Olympics team. In the team event, the 26-year-old contributed eight points in her respective segment to finish third and help Team USA to the gold podium. But in her individual short program, she doubled a planned triple loop and lost technical points, placing 13th.
It was the first such loss for Glenn. On the other hand, Liu, who entered as the reigning World and National champion, finished third in the short program and led the ‘Blade Angels’ to the free skate, where she earned a total score of 226.79 to win the first gold for an American woman since 2002.
That achievement was inspiring to Glenn, who wished to adopt the ‘go with the flow’ attitude of her teammate Liu and help change the sport alongside Liu and Isabeau Levito.
“I’m so proud of her. I got to train with her this week off at a different site, and it was really inspiring. I hope people can learn a lot from her and all three of us, different stories, and I hope that we can really change the sport. I want to be more, like she’s very type B, I’m very type A, so I’m going to try and embrace that kind of go with the flow attitude, but also being responsible. She wouldn’t be an Olympic gold medallist if she didn’t work hard, so I definitely want to try and embrace that a bit more,” she said.
READ MORE: ‘She Was Right There for Me’ Amber Glenn Shares Alysa Liu’s Emotional Support After Tough Skate
The first-time Olympian earned a total score of 214.91, sitting out of the podium by just 4.25 points. Despite her heartbreak, she remained positive about having made it to the Olympics and standing on her own feet. She acknowledged the opportunity and sent support to Liu, saying:
“I’m happy that my teammate was able to come in and do her best and win, so.”
Liu edged out Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto in the overall standings for her first Olympic gold. The latter’s teammate, Ami Nakai, settled for bronze.
