When the Winter Olympics first started, several American athletes openly bashed their own country in front of the world, including freestyle skier Hunter Hess who said he had "mixed emotions" representing the U.S. because he is "not the biggest fan of" things that are happening here. Another skier, Chris Liller, lamented the ICE raids, saying he was "heartbroken" that someone was finally enforcing federal laws (but he wasn't heartbroken over all the Americans killed by illegal immigrants).
Figure skater Amber Glenn said her focus was on the “queer community” having to fight for their rights under the Trump administration. “I hope that I can use my platform and my voice throughout these games to try and encourage people to stay strong in these hard times,” Glenn said.
Now Glenn likely won't be taking home a medal from the games, after she bailed on a jump in the short skate yesteray and fell to 13th place.
From @TheAthletic: American figure skater Amber Glenn dropped to 13th place in the women's short skate on Tuesday after she bailed on a jump. Pretty harsh for not having fallen, but that’s the sport. She left the ice in tears. https://t.co/c2AFUtpJkr pic.twitter.com/uLaCAQHhAC
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 17, 2026
Whoops.
American figure skater Amber Glenn, one third of the trio known as the "Blade Angels," had a rough performance in the women’s singles short program at the Winter Olympics on Tuesday.
Glenn, three-time reigning U.S. champion, was in the mix for a medal until the very end of her routine. She landed a huge triple axel, which led into a triple-flip-triple toe loop. However, Glenn was just a little off kilter and bailed out of the triple loop.
She received no points as the double loop became an invalid element. She lost seven or eight points with the bailout and nixed her chances of reaching the medal podium when the free skate competition ends on Thursday.
Glenn was emotional as she came off the ice, telling her coach, "I had it."
Glenn was visibly emotional after the short program.
Amber Glenn finished in 13th place at the Olympics after criticizing America and implying she is an oppressed alphabet gang member.
— Spitfire (@RealSpitfire) February 18, 2026
Karma pic.twitter.com/q7xbVRv1Mz
No one felt sympathy for Glenn.
I had no idea who this Amber Glenn is, but talking crap about the country you’re representing and pushing your sexual agenda, you deserve all the bad karma.
— J.J. by the Bay 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@flagg_colonel) February 18, 2026
FAFO.
That was the prevalent sentiment on X.
Amber Glenn, US figure skater who criticized America, finishes in 13th place in short program after bailing on planned triple loop. pic.twitter.com/VrAf6CCUHe
— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) February 18, 2026
Glenn's score did qualify her for the free skate, but she will be well outside medal contention.
Amber Glenn is incredibly talented. Women figure skaters often retire by 20; she’s 26 and still as competitive as it gets. She has every reason to take PRIDE in her athletic achievements. But it’s 2026; nobody cares what genders she is attracted to. Waving a progress pride flag… https://t.co/tHqtt2eKkJ
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) February 11, 2026
"Waving a progress pride flag instead of an American flag is absurdly performative and does nothing to advance the cause she seems to care about. Why can’t Americans be like other countries’ Olympic athletes and display the flag of our country?" Pushaw wrote.
The activism is what's exhausting and off-putting to people who just want to watch athletes compete. Glenn joins Eileen Gu, the San Francisco-born skier who is competing for China, in failing to win gold at the games.