In the dazzling and competitive world of figure skating, where elegance blends with athleticism, there’s a new kind of strength on display on the road to Milan Cortina. Amber Glenn, a three-time U.S. champion and 2024 Grand Prix Final champion who will represent her country at the 2026 Winter Olympics beginning in February, is not only landing triple axels but also addressing the behind-the-scenes challenges of navigating mental health challenges.
Glenn gained new attention after landing a triple Axel at the 2023 Skate America event in Allen, Texas, becoming the sixth U.S woman to land the triple Axel in competition.
Glenn concluded the 2024 season with an impressive winning streak, securing first place at both Grand Prix France and the Grand Prix Final.
At the 2026 U.S. Championships, she won her third consecutive national title, which made her the first woman to win at least three consecutive titles since Michelle Kwan, who won eight in a row from 1998 to 2005. She heads to Italy at the lead of a powerhouse group of U.S. women, with a chance to end a lengthy drought: the U.S. hasn’t won an Olympic medal in the women’s singles event since Sasha Cohen’s silver in 2006.
But it’s been a complex road to this moment for Glenn, a native of Plano, Texas. Throughout her skating career, the figure skater has always been open about her journey with her mental health and how important her identity off the ice has been to her performance on it.
She’s candidly shared her experiences of being in the limelight at such a young age and how the pressures from adolescence affected her performance.
She recalled moments from the start of her career: “I was being judged online from the age of 12, not just for my performances, but also for my appearance and athleticism, and that took a toll.”
Feeling isolated in her struggles, Glenn elaborated on how athletes often battle with challenges behind closed doors, making it difficult to seek solace from the scrutiny that comes with being in the spotlight at a young age.
“Because when I was younger, I would see the top athletes and be like, oh, they don’t have issues, I do, so there’s no way I can be as successful as them,” she recounted. “There’s no way I could win nationals because they don’t have depression, anxiety. It is very hard to maintain a successful athletic career when you are struggling in your everyday.”
In 2015, she took time away from the sport, a step back that she said at the time could have either been temporary or permanent.
“I got the help that I needed, and got things kind of in order personally,” Glenn said. “And then I was able to reflect and realize that I really did love skating. I want to still be involved in it, and I slowly made my way back to the sport a few months later.”
Glenn has continued to be open on social media about her experience with her mental health, trying to bridge the gap for other athletes.
“Mental health in elite sports is something that has become more of a topic over the years, but still is not talked about enough in my opinion.”
Another key part of the journey for Glenn has been embracing her full identity and finding ways to integrate that identity into the sport.
In 2019, she came out as bisexual and pansexual, sharing her story in an article in the Dallas Voice.
“There are many ways that I like to express myself. And a lot of it, I think, is just owning who I am,” Glenn said.
Glenn reflects on the importance of Pride Month
Team USA figure skater Amber Glenn, a two-time national champion and a Grand Prix Final champion, reflects on what Pride Month means to her and the importance of queer representation in figure skating.
By incorporating her identity into her sport, she tried to break gender stereotypes in her programs by including ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ energy into her routines.
“I don’t even think it should be considered masculine,” Glenn said. “I think it’s just athletic, dynamic, and cool, and I think that all women should be able to do that without fear of being masculine, or in fear of being judged for their level of femininity.”
Glenn has also shown her support for the Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization focused on preventing suicide and providing crisis intervention for young individuals in the LGBTQ+ community, offering crisis support services around the clock.
“It is absolutely vital right now, especially because their crisis lines are currently being defunded,” Glenn said.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health and the Trevor Project, suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10-14 and 25-34.
In July of 2025, the Trevor Project announced that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, had terminated the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program.
The Trevor Project is currently pushing back and petitioning to keep the line open, and they aren’t the only ones fighting to uplift queer voices.
“Resources like these are lifesaving,” Glenn said. “We need to uplift and support these voices as much as possible.”
Figure skating at the Milan Cortina Olympics begins February 6th with the Team Event. The women’s competition kicks off with the Short Program on February 17th.
Throughout the winter, in a series called Hometown Hopefuls, NBC is spotlighting the stories of Olympic and Paralympic athletes from across the United States as they work towards the opportunity to represent their country at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. We’ll learn about their paths to their sports’ biggest stage, the communities that have been formative along the way, and the causes they’re committed to in their hometowns and around the world. Visit nbcsports.com/hometown-hopefuls for more stories on the road to Milan Cortina.