As the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan dazzled the world, Amber Glenn, one of Team USA’s brightest stars, delivered a powerful message on diversity. The figure skater shone in her Olympic debut, helping Team USA secure gold in the team event. Her free skate score of 138.62 added 8 crucial points, sealing her first Olympic gold.
Amber Glenn Flexes Body-Positive Message
Glenn is coming off the back of a highly successful season. She qualified for the Milan Games after winning her 3rd straight U.S national title in St. Louis in January, and also recorded a fourth-place finish at the 2025-26 Grand Prix Final. She also won gold at the 2025 Cup of China.
In a video shared on TikTok, Glenn was seen flexing in the mirror, and captioned the post with: “Reminder during this Olympics that athletes come in all shapes & sizes #strongisbeautiful”
Glenn’s message is just the latest example of her fearless advocacy. She recently made waves by criticizing the Trump administration, highlighting how the nation’s political climate has created challenges for the LGBTQ community.
Glenn first made her breakthrough in figure skating at the age of 14, grabbing the 2014 U.S. junior national title and Junior Grand Prix medals in the 2013–14 season. She would go on to establish herself on the senior stage in 2021, when she grabbed silver at the U.S Championships, her first senior national medal after nine prior attempts.
After her performance in the free skate in Milan, Glenn made her feelings known about her performance:
“I just did not feel wonderful, like even in the warm ups,” she said, as per USA Today. “My leg was just sore, and it’s not an injury, it’s nothing that we need to worry about. It’s just something that I need that rest and recovery time. I feel guilty. My team has done so well, and my performance was lackluster. I scored lower than my median and what they were counting on, and I placed lower than what would have been expected.”
In the short program, Alysa Liu finished second, contributing 9 team points. Meanwhile, Ilia Malinin won gold in the men’s free skate, while Ellie Kam/Danny O’Shea earned 7 crucial points in the pairs free skate.
Finally, Madison Chock/Evan Bates finished first in ice dance to help Team USA secure its gold medal. While Glenn did not feel her performance was up to par, she will be looking to improve in the individual women’s singles event, which is scheduled for next week.
