American figure skater Amber Glenn has shared her motivation as she gears up to successfully defend her title at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The Texas native is a two-time defending champion and will look to win her third consecutive title at the coveted event in St. Louis.
What Was Amber Glenn’s Motivation Ahead of the National Championships?
The nation’s top figure skaters will be taking part in the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and Glenn will face stern competition for the title. Also part of her motivation to triumph will be the opportunity to possibly qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will carry high stakes for Amber Glenn. Ahead of the start of the tournament, the 26-year-old shared a throwback video on her Instagram story of herself skating as a child. She wrote about how she would be skating for her younger self at the prestigious event this week.
“This week is for her,” Amber Glenn wrote alongside the video on her Instagram story.
Glenn began learning to skate at the age of five and won her first Junior Grand Prix medal at the age of 14. She has since won two gold medals at the U.S. Championships, as well as a bronze and a silver medal.
Glenn Hoping To Use Experience to Her Advantage at the U.S. Championships
The 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will get underway on January 7, and Amber Glenn will be among the favorites to come out on top in the women’s singles event. The athlete recently said she has learned a great deal from her figure skating experiences and now aims to use them to her advantage.
“I use my age to my advantage. And I know what works for me now,” Glenn said in an interview with Olympics.com.
“I’ve had my ups and downs, many downs, and luckily the last year and a half it’s been a pretty upward trajectory. I gained so much experience from having the successes and triumphs.”
Glenn also spoke about her fifth-place finish at the World Championships and how much it taught her.
“[That] defeat that was really hard… I’ve learned a lot from that experience.”
Amber Glenn will no doubt face firm competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships from the likes of Alysa Liu, Isabeau Levito, and Elyce Lin-Gracey. Liu is the reigning world champion and hopes to clinch her first U.S. Championships title since 2020. Fans can watch live coverage of the event from January 7 to 11 on NBC and Peacock.