“I don’t have to be perfect every single time to have a successful competition.” At 25, Amber Glenn knows herself—the highs, the lows, and everything in between. She spoke those words with quiet conviction before stepping onto the ice at the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Ultimately, she knew exactly what she was walking into. The rink was filled with younger, hungrier competitors—some barely out of their teens. Their bodies were lighter, their jumps springier, their knees less weathered by time. Amber, however, wasn’t oblivious to the odds.
The Texas native was older, yes. But she was also wiser. And she was no stranger to battle scars. She had faced more than just competitors on the ice—she had fought against mental health struggles, ADHD, and the suffocating weight of self-doubt. Some days, she soared. Other days, she sank. The question marks still lingered—remnants of the same doubts that haunted Simone Biles before the Paris Olympics the year before. But Simone found her answers on a Redemption Tour, rewriting her legacy in gold. So, the question was: Had Amber Glenn earned her place in the pages of history yet?
On March 28 at TD Garden in Boston, the music soared—*“I Will Find You / The Return”*—and Amber Glenn skated like a woman who had nothing left to lose, only something to prove. The 2025 World Figure Skating Championships was supposed to be about medals, about rankings. But for Amber, it became something else entirely. She wasn’t perfect. Her free skate score of 138.00 wouldn’t put her on the top podium. But what did she earn instead? Far greater.
As Amber struck her final pose, the crowd inside TD Garden erupted—not just in applause, but in something rarer, something skaters dream of: a standing ovation. And not just any standing ovation. One that felt earned. One that lingered. One that echoed the same love and admiration Simone Biles received in Paris and the U.S. Olympic Trials the year before. Because sometimes, history isn’t just about medals. It’s about the moment when a crowd rises—not because you won, but because you inspired. And on that night in Boston, Amber Glenn inspired. But for the beginners, the question may come to mind: How did Amber inspire? After all, her overall score of 205.65 stood fifth in the final result. A 19-year-old, Alysa Liu, topped the chart, defeating the 25-year-old veteran. Then how did the latter inspire?
Remember, the two-time defending national champion faced heartbreak in the short program. Her fall on the triple axel during the program pushed her to ninth place. But later, Glenn barely held onto her triple axel during her opening jump and battled through a few minor mistakes to earn a free skate score of 138.00. The performance briefly put her in medal contention before the final group took the ice. For a short time, she was in the lead—until Japan’s three-time defending champion, Kaori Sakamoto, delivered her routine. In the end, her 205.65 score missed the podium finish by a close margin. But last year, this score would have given her a place on the podium. So, see Amber Glenn’s mindset – how perfectly she rises from failure.
The reasons that make Amber Glenn, the Simone Biles
“She’s really in tune with how she’s feeling mentally and physically, speaking up about it, keeping up with her therapist weekly. She knows it’s important.” Those were the words of Cécile Landi, Simone Biles’ former coach, on the All Things Gymnastics podcast last year. Landi didn’t need to worry about Simone’s resilience—she trusted in her strength, her self-awareness, and her courage to prioritize mental health. Now, a year later, that same echo of trust could be heard in Damon Allen’s voice. Amber Glenn’s coach, like Landi, knows exactly what his athlete has faced—and how she fights through it.
In an interview with The Guardian, Allen didn’t hold back. “She’s the real deal. She’s not afraid to tell you about her problems, her anxiety, her ADHD. She is a great advocate for mental health, and I think a lot of people gravitate to that.” Allen sees what Landi once saw in Simone: authenticity, bravery, and unshakable honesty. But according to Allen, Amber’s impact goes beyond her advocacy—she has changed the sport itself. How?
Like Simone Biles did for gymnastics, Amber Glenn has become a beacon of representation and evolution in figure skating. Her signature triple axel—a jump once considered nearly impossible for most female skaters—is now part of her standard arsenal. Her performances aren’t just about technical precision—they are about storytelling, evoking emotion with every edge, every turn. And her presence? It’s magnetic.
“Her jumps, her ability to tell a story, her ability to entertain a crowd—she’s inspiring generations,” Allen said. Amber Glenn isn’t just performing. She’s rewriting the script for what it means to be a figure skater. Simone Biles is a gymnast whose legacy will be measured not only by her medals but by her impact on the sport—her fearlessness to prioritize mental health, her advocacy, and her ability to defy the impossible. Amber Glenn is cut from that same cloth.
Amber is the first of her kind in figure skating—a bold and unapologetic athlete whose influence extends far beyond the boards. In a sport often defined by polish and perfection, Amber has shown that there is beauty in honesty, vulnerability, and imperfection. And that, perhaps, is the most powerful legacy of all.
