United States figure skating superstar Amber Glenn made a heartbreaking mistake that almost certainly cost her a chance at the podium, but she bounced back in a big way during Thursday’s free skate.
During her short program on Tuesday, Glenn landed the two most difficult jumps before making a major mistake on her third and final jump, landing only a double loop instead of the triple loop. The jump was ruled an invalid element, earning her zero points for that element.
As a result of the mistake, Glenn finished that day all the way down in 12th place after entering the competition as one of the favorites to win the gold.
While Glenn’s hopes of earning a medal were effectively dashed by that one mistake in the short program, she had a chance for redemption on Thursday, and she certainly made the most of it, earning her the highest score of her season so far.
“What a thrilling, redemptive skate for Amber Glenn,” NBC analyst Johnny Weir said on the broadcast after her performance. “Her resiliency is something to be admired. She just fought so hard.”
“I was nervous the whole way through the performance for her,” Weir added. “She just fought and did everything she could to give herself this Olympic moment.”
Glenn was one of just two skaters to even attempt a triple axel in her free skate, and she landed it perfectly. In fact, NBC analyst Tara Lipinski said it was the best she had ever seen from the U.S. superstar.
“It was the best triple axel I have ever seen from her,” Lipinski said. “So solid, so, so sure, so confident.”
The score from the performance gave her a total score of 214.91, vaulting her into first place through the first 12 competitors. While the total score was almost certainly never going to be enough to earn her a spot on the podium, it did give her some real redemption and prove what she was capable of.
“This program was so much more about what she could do for herself – to prove that she could do a free skate like this,” Lapinski said.
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