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U.S. Figure Skater Amber Glenn Addresses Future After Winter Olympics

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zahid Rashid | Last updated Mar 1, 2026 11:03 AM ET

Amber Glenn’s first Winter Olympics campaign may not have gone as planned, but she still left the Games with a gold medal and made history in the process. Glenn became the oldest American women’s singles skater in nearly a century to compete at the Winter Olympics.

After narrowly missing out on Olympic qualification in both 2018 and 2022, Glenn battled through adversity and won the U.S. Championships earlier this year. In doing so, she became the oldest American woman since the 1928 Winter Olympics in Switzerland to qualify for a singles event at the Games.

The 26-year-old played a key role in helping Team USA capture gold in the team event with a strong performance. She was also a favorite in the individual competition but fell short after failing to cleanly land her final jump, a triple loop, in the short program, leaving her in 13th place. Although the Texas native rebounded with an impressive free skate, it was enough for only a fifth-place finish overall.

Amber Glenn reacts after competing in the women's free skate at the 2026 Winter Games. Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Still, Glenn expressed pride in her performance and plans to continue competing, with the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague next on her schedule.

“As of right now, I’m planning to be there,” she told Olympics.com. “I’ve never been to Prague, so I’m so excited for that. And after that, it’s really just wherever the journey takes me.”

Glenn became the first American woman to win the World Figure Skating Championships in nearly two decades last season and will look to defend her title when the 2026 edition takes place from March 24 to 29 at the O2 Arena in Prague. However, as far as the Olympics are concerned, 2026 appears likely to be her final appearance.

“Well, I’ll be 30. I’m lucky my body is holding itself together right now — honestly it barely is," she said previously about competing at 2030 Games.

While Glenn later added that she hopes to remain involved in the sport in some capacity for as long as possible, the Olympic gold medalist suggested she may skate one final season before retiring.

“I will reevaluate after the season’s over and see how I’m doing physically and mentally. I am not opposed to doing one last season hoorah, just for fun and seeing, ‘Hey, let’s see if I can do a quad,'" she added.

Regardless of what comes next, Glenn has already realized her Olympic dreams and cemented her legacy with a team gold medal. And with at least one more world championship push ahead, plus a stint on "Dancing With the Stars", her spotlight is far from fading.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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