America’s lengthy 14-year wait for a female figure skating Grand Prix champion concluded Saturday as Amber Glenn triumphed over top Japanese competitors to secure the top spot. Glenn achieved the first women’s singles final gold medal for the U.S. since 2010. She fended off Japan’s Mone Chiba, Hana Yoshida, Kaori Sakamoto, Rino Matsuike, and Wakaba […]
America’s lengthy 14-year wait for a female figure skating Grand Prix champion concluded Saturday as Amber Glenn triumphed over top Japanese competitors to secure the top spot.
Glenn achieved the first women’s singles final gold medal for the U.S. since 2010.
She fended off Japan’s Mone Chiba, Hana Yoshida, Kaori Sakamoto, Rino Matsuike, and Wakaba Higuchi, who placed second through sixth respectively. Glenn’s win came by a narrow margin of just 0.69 points over Chiba.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
At the age of 25, the Texan has become the oldest Grand Prix Final champion since Russia’s Irina Slutskaya claimed her fourth and final title in December 2004 at 26. This positions Glenn as a prime contender at the world championships in Boston from March 23-30, less than a year away from the 2026 Olympics.
There was a point in Glenn’s journey when it seemed she would achieve such a milestone much earlier. In 2014, she secured the U.S. junior championships. However, she stepped back from skating in 2015 due to struggles with depression.
She made a comeback later that year but experienced one of the lowest points in her career, finishing sixth at the 2015 Autumn Classic International. She described the situation as “a disaster,” as reported by The Washington Post.
BOISE STATE WINS MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP AS FIRST EXPANDED CFP BRACKET BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE
Following that event, she took another break from skating and later revealed that during this period, doctors advised her to quit the sport “indefinitely.” Yet, she returned to training in early 2016. Since then, Glenn has not quite matched her 2014 junior championship form in senior level competitions.
In December 2019, Glenn came out as pansexual, meaning she is romantically interested in individuals regardless of their gender.
“The fear of not being accepted is a massive challenge for me,” she shared with Dallas Voice. “Being seen as ‘just a phase’ or ‘indecisive’ is a common struggle for bisexual/pansexual women. I don’t want to impose my sexuality on anyone, but I also don’t wish to conceal who I am.”
Glenn referred to North Texas-based ice skating duo Ashley Cain-Gribble and her queer partner Timothy LeDuc as “role models” in her journey of accepting her sexuality, according to Dallas Voice.
In a 2021 interview with Team USA, Glenn mentioned that her experience as a figure skater exposed her to gay stereotypes. She later confessed to having developed “crushes” on fellow female skaters.
“In the figure skating world, there was always this stereotype that the men were gay,” Glenn remarked. “At 16, while my peers were starting to notice the opposite sex, I found myself attracted to both men and women.”
Glenn has only been publicly linked romantically with men’s figure skater Nathan Chen. The two were in a relationship in 2016, often showcasing their connection through social media posts.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Gold medalist Amber Glenn of the United States poses with a medal during the medal ceremony at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final — Grenoble at Patinoire Polesud Dec. 7, 2024, in Grenoble, France. (Daniela Porcelli/International Skating Union/International Skating Union)
“My feelings for you developed slowly. Your character, your voice, your hair, your eyes, your sense of humor, all of it. You’re the first person I turn to when I’m having a bad day, the one I can trust to never judge me. You’re my anchor, my closest friend, and the most wonderful boyfriend I could hope for,” she expressed to Chen in an Instagram message.
Their relationship is thought to have concluded in 2017, and she publicly identified as pansexual two years later. Glenn mentioned in an interview with NBC Sports in January that she feared her openness about her sexuality “might influence her scores.”
“When I initially came out, I was extremely frightened. I worried it could impact my scores or something,” she disclosed to the outlet.
However, it didn’t affect her performance enough to prevent her from securing a landmark medal on Saturday.
Glenn is now poised to make her debut at the Winter Olympics.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.