GRENOBLE, France — Amber Glenn has soared to the top of international figure skating with an historic victory in the Grand Prix final.
Glenn became the first American to win the women’s Grand Prix final competition since Alissa Czisny 14 years ago as three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto had to settle for third place.
That continues a stunning breakout season at the age of 25 for the Texas-born skater, who is unbeaten in 2024-25, and caps a year which began with her first US national title in January. Glenn admitted it’s hard to get used to being on the top step of the podium.
“I’m exhausted,” she said. “It has been a whirlwind of a season and I’ve kind of struggled with this imposter syndrome. Just: ‘Oh, no, no, I’m not winning. That’s not me.’ And I’m just happy my hard work is finally showing, and this is a great event, and I’m honored to even be here.”
Skating last in the six-woman field against five Japanese skaters, there was little sign of the pain which had bothered Glenn in short programme.
Glenn started with an emphatic triple axel and overcame a slight wobble part-way through her free skate – doubling a planned triple salchow and slightly under-rotating a triple flip – to finish strongly and score a total 212.07 for the win.
Mone Chiba, a silver medalist at both her Grand Prix events this season, was second again on 208.85.
World champion Sakamoto had been out of form in the short program but recovered with a strong free skate to the musical Chicago for bronze on 201.13.
Glenn said she “pinched a rib” on an awkward landing of the axel and “held back on the following two jumps,” which both lost points on execution.
“Today I was in a really rough place competing. I didn´t feel the greatest, but I feel like I stayed very mentally strong and fought for everything,” she said according to AP.
“And, you know, me a couple of years ago, my anxiety would have gotten to me, but I´ve gotten a lot better with it.”
Glenn is in her first Grand Prix Final at the age of 25 after a strong season brought her first two career wins in the Grand Prix series.
She is seeking to become the first US skater to win the women´s event at the Grand Prix Final since Alissa Czisny in 2010.
Mone Chiba is in second place ahead of free skate on 69.33 – to the Donna Summer song “Last Dance” – while Hana Yoshida is third on 64.23.
Three-time world champion Sakamoto seemed capable of challenging Glenn for the lead until she fell on the last jump in her programme, a triple flip-triple toeloop combination and placed fourth on 63.98.
Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin took a narrow lead in the pairs short programme as they aim to retain the Grand Prix Final title they won last year.
Hase and Volodin skated clean to score a personal-best 76.72 for a lead of just .45 of a point from Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara after Miura underrotated a triple toeloop jump. Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava are third on 72.26 for Georgia.
The event wasn’t without its disappointments. Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier faced hurdles, struggling with falls during their rhythm dance, ending up lower on the standings than hoped.
The pair, known for their elegance and strong performances, will surely seek to overcome this setback and regain their competitive edge as they move forward.
Overall, the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skatings Final continues to not only crown champions but also to witness breathtaking displays of athleticism, camaraderie among skaters, and the relentless pursuit of excellence on ice.
Fans await with bated breath to see how the upcoming performances will play out and what new talent might emerge, confidently claiming their place among the giants of the sport.
