Amber Glenn concluded her impressive 2024 season by securing the most significant title for a U.S. women’s singles figure skater since 2010. At 25, Glenn triumphed at the Grand Prix Final, the premier event in figure skating, outshining the world’s top-ranked female skaters (all five competitors hailing from Japan). She recorded the highest scores in […]
Amber Glenn concluded her impressive 2024 season by securing the most significant title for a U.S. women’s singles figure skater since 2010.
At 25, Glenn triumphed at the Grand Prix Final, the premier event in figure skating, outshining the world’s top-ranked female skaters (all five competitors hailing from Japan).
She recorded the highest scores in both Friday’s short program and Saturday’s free skate, successfully executing a triple Axel on each occasion. Glenn accumulated a total of 212.07 points, winning by a margin of 3.22 over 19-year-old Mone Chiba.
On Saturday, Glenn encountered a couple of minor jumping errors in the free skate (doubling her planned triple Salchow and performing a two-footed landing on a triple flip). After stepping off the ice, she informed coach Damon Allen that her back was in pain. Earlier, on Friday, she had experienced discomfort from what she felt was a pinched rib during the short program.
“I’ve not been at my best while here,” Glenn expressed after the event on Saturday. “Consequently, it wasn’t a performance I felt particularly thrilled about — I wasn’t just glowing with excitement. My focus was to perform my role, and I did that to the best of my capabilities. I wouldn’t classify it as a performance, rather a demonstration of my skills.”
GRAND PRIX FINAL: Broadcast Schedule | Full Results
Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto placed third, marking her first loss in a top-tier competition since the 2022 Grand Prix Final.
Glenn has become the first American woman to win the Grand Prix Final since Alissa Czisny in 2010, which stands as the third most esteemed event in the sport following the Olympics and World Championships. The last American woman to claim a world title was Kimmie Meissner in 2006. Sarah Hughes was the last to triumph in the Olympics in 2002.
Additionally, Glenn is now the third U.S. woman ever to win two Grand Prix regular season titles along with the Final in one season, following in the footsteps of Michelle Kwan (1995-96, the inaugural Grand Prix season) and Sasha Cohen (2002-03).
This season, Glenn has emerged victorious in all four of her competitions — her first four international wins at any level. She is also the oldest woman to seize the Grand Prix Final title since Russian Irina Slutskaya achieved the same in 2004.
“I’m drained,” she commented in a rinkside interview shortly after the free skate. “This season has been a whirlwind. I’ve somewhat battled with this sense of being an imposter. Oh, no, no, that’s not me winning. I’m just pleased that my efforts are finally being recognized.”
Part of Glenn’s significant progress can be credited to neurotherapy during the offseason.
Moreover, she has shown increased consistency with her signature move, the triple Axel, recognized as the most difficult jump performed in women’s senior international competitions this season. Glenn is the only female skater to execute a pristine triple in this senior Grand Prix season, achieving it at each of her competitions.
Recently, she has been encouraged by the phrase “calm beast” prior to skating.
“A coach at my (Colorado Springs) rink remarked that when I was skating exceptionally well one day, I resembled a calm beast,” Glenn shared. “So it’s crucial to remain calm and not to rush, while also harnessing that power.”
Glenn started 2024 by clinching her first senior U.S. title in her ninth attempt, which was her second triumph since taking the 2014 U.S. junior title (the other being a regional qualifier in 2018).
She was the runner-up at the 2021 U.S. Championships, putting her in the running for one of the three spots on the Olympic team in 2022.
However, she finished 14th in the short program at the 2022 U.S. Championships, subsequently discovering she had COVID-19 and withdrew before the free skate. That was among several challenges she faced, having also experienced concussions in both 2020 and 2023.
By 2026, she could become the oldest U.S. Olympic women’s singles skater in 98 years.
Before that opportunity, she will defend her national title at the end of January in Wichita, Kansas. Following the nationals, three women will be selected for the team headed to the world championships in March. At last March’s worlds, Glenn finished in 10th place, following errors on her final four jump attempts in her free skate.
The Grand Prix Final will conclude later Saturday with the free dance and men’s free skate, both available live on Peacock.
2024-25 figure skating season TV, live stream schedule
Details on how to view the 2024-25 figure skating season on NBC Sports and Peacock.