Two-time U.S. figure skating champion Amber Glenn reflected on her mental health journey, starting with briefly stepping away from the sport in late 2015, in a TODAY interview that aired Tuesday.
“I was in a very dark place,” Glenn said, referring to 2015 and noting she was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and an eating disorder. “One of my friends contacted one of my parents, and I sought help. I’m so grateful for that.”
Glenn turned 16 years old during that time. She reflected for months and did step back on the ice.
“I had no idea (if I would go back to figure skating),” Glenn told TODAY. “I knew that there was no way I could go back to the way I was doing things. And eventually I got to a place where I was doing things in a healthy way, and I could speak about my struggles.”
In March 2016, while still on a break from competition, Glenn attended the World Championships women’s free skate in Boston.
She watched as American Ashley Wagner performed brilliantly, moving up from fourth place after the short program to earn a silver medal.
It was part inspiring and also part discouraging. Glenn didn’t believe at the time that she could ever reach that level.
“Growing up, I saw the top skaters as untouchable and as these people who didn’t have the same struggles that I was having at that age,” she said. “Eventually, I got a peek behind the curtain, and they were struggling in silence. After seeing that, I realized that it was more important for me to be honest about my journey than to try and act like everything was perfect.”
Eight years after that time away, Glenn won her first senior U.S. title in 2024, then repeated as champion this past January.
She also won this past December’s Grand Prix Final, the second-most prestigious annual international event after the World Championships.
Glenn is bidding to make the three-woman team for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, which will be decided by a committee after this upcoming January’s U.S. Championships.
At 26, she can become the oldest U.S. women’s singles skater to compete in an Olympics in 98 years.
“Part of me is still in disbelief,” Glenn told TODAY. “I need to trust that I put in the work to be here and that I do deserve it.”
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