American figure skater Amber Glenn has publicly revealed she endured a devastating torrent of online attacks and hateful messages following a dramatic error during her Winter Olympics short program that left her in tears. The 26-year-old athlete, who identifies as bisexual and pansexual and made history as the first openly queer woman to compete for Team USA in figure skating, broke down emotionally after her botched routine placed her a disappointing 13th in the Milan Cortina competition.
From Despair to Triumph in Free Skate
In a remarkable turnaround during Thursday night's free skate event, Glenn delivered a season-best performance that nearly secured her an individual medal, bringing her to tears of joy rather than despair. The three-time reigning U.S. national champion has recently disclosed she is taking a break from social media platforms after receiving what she described as a 'scary amount of hate' for criticizing former President Donald Trump's treatment of the LGBTQ+ community.
Targeted Abuse Following Performance
Now Glenn has revealed that the abuse intensified significantly following her crucial error in the short program. 'It wasn't easy,' Glenn confessed. 'There's been a bombardment of attacks and hate on me, using my lackluster performance as fuel for hate, and that was disheartening.'
Despite this overwhelming backlash, Glenn demonstrated extraordinary resilience by rebounding spectacularly in the free skate competition. She earned an impressive score of 214.91 points, which represented nearly the best performance of her entire professional career. For a significant portion of the event, her score placed her at the top of the podium and positioned her for what would have been a second gold medal at these Winter Games.
Final Standings and Emotional Response
Ultimately, Glenn finished in fifth place overall, behind her teammate Alysa Liu, who secured Team USA's first women's figure skating gold medal in 24 years, and the Japanese trio consisting of silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto, bronze medalist Ami Nakai, and fourth-place finisher Mone Chiba.
'I'm ecstatic. I'm happy that I did my job,' said Glenn, who will still depart from the Olympics with a gold medal earned during the team event. 'Of course there's so much that I wish I could have done better, and there's going to be so many "what ifs?" after this. But to tell myself that I did what I could, that's enough.'
Dramatic On-Ice Reactions
The emotional rollercoaster was visible throughout Glenn's performances. She punched the air triumphantly as her music concluded, then tears began flowing as her coach, Damon Allen, enveloped her in a supportive embrace. When her impressive score was finally revealed, both athlete and coach raised their arms in delighted celebration.
'I just thought, "I'm going to do what I do best, which is enjoy skating,"' Glenn explained about her mindset, 'and that's what I did today.'
Olympic Journey and Activism
The 26-year-old skater entered the individual event as one of the favorites, having consistently competed for podium positions since the 2022 Beijing Games. Her previous Olympic aspirations were thwarted when a positive COVID-19 test prevented her from participating in the U.S. championships and eliminated her qualification chances.
As an outspoken LGBTQ+ activist, Glenn found herself fighting back tears on Tuesday night when a major mistake on a triple loop jump cost her valuable points and dropped her to 13th position. However, during Thursday's competition, she maintained the lead position until Chiba finally took to the ice, followed by Liu's golden free skate performance, with Sakamoto and Nakai ultimately pushing Glenn down to fifth place in the final standings.
This disappointment didn't prevent Glenn from celebrating her teammate's victory. She immediately hopped onto the kiss-and-cry stand to raise Liu's hand in a gesture of solidarity and triumph, demonstrating sportsmanship despite her own emotional journey through the competition.
