A Tale Of Three Skates For The United States’ ‘blade Angels’ - Beritaja

MILAN — Three American fig skaters — Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito — took portion Tuesday successful what is possibly the signature infinitesimal of each Winter Olympics, the women’s azygous skating event.

For 1 of them, it was a triumphant comeback. For another, a long-awaited presence connected the world stage. And for the third, a profoundly disappointing performance.

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Liu is successful 3rd spot after a stellar short program, scoring a 76.59. Levito, the youngest of the group, is successful eighth spot aft her first skate of the Olympics.

Glenn, however, struggled and fell to 13th contempt coming disconnected a first-place decorativeness astatine the U.S. Championships only past month.

Glenn, 26, is competing successful her first Winter Games successful Milan. She has been astatine her champion during the past 2 fig skating seasons, pinch 8 individual first-place finishes since 2024. She has besides won the past 3 U.S. championships.

She nailed her triple axel jump connected Tuesday, but stumbled later successful the programme erstwhile a planned triple loop turned into a double, earning her zero points. Glenn was successful tears arsenic she near the ice, knowing it would beryllium an uphill climb for her to now medal.

“This is heartbreaking to watch,” NBC Sports’ Tara Lipinski said arsenic Glenn walked disconnected the ice.

Amber Glenn reacts aft competing connected Tuesday astatine the Winter Olympics.Wang Zhao / AFP via Getty Images

Glenn’s capacity was the latest successful a drawstring of difficult nights for Americans astatine the Milan Ice Skating Arena, coming connected the heels of a controversial second-place decorativeness for Madison Chock and Evan Bates and a stunning, mistake-filled free skate by Ilia Malinin.

Liu, connected the different hand, was the champion American performer of the nighttime — and will beryllium successful badge position for Thursday’s free skate.

“It felt great,” Liu, 20, said of her first individual skate of the Milan Olympics. She earlier participated successful the squad event, helping the U.S. triumph gold.

Liu antecedently competed successful Beijing successful 2022 but retired from the athletics soon after. She returned to title successful October 2024, and has been a formidable competitor during her 2nd act. Liu won the individual arena astatine some the 2025 World Championships and the about caller Grand Prix last successful December.

Liu added Tuesday that having her family successful the stands made her capacity much exciting, thing she didn’t get to acquisition astatine the past Games.

“I americium really happy about really I skated,” Liu said. “I'm really gladsome I did ace well. I felt ace grounded, and I connected pinch my programme connected different level compared to the remainder of the season.”

When asked if she could flooded the Japanese skaters successful first and 2nd place, Liu said: “Whether I hit them aliases not is not my goal. My extremity is conscionable to do my programs and stock my story. And I don't request to, I guess, beryllium complete aliases nether anyone to do that.”

Levito, 18, is the up-and-comer of the group. While she has often vanished down Glenn and Liu, she did triumph first spot astatine the Cranberry Cup International successful August 2025, which featured aggregate Olympic competitors.

“I conjecture I could now telephone myself an Olympian,” Levito told Beritaja pursuing her short program. “I felt very bully retired there. I consciousness very good trained, truthful I was capable to bask the moment.”