Amber Glenn claims her third consecutive US figure skating championship, leading a strong American women’s team for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
AMBER Glenn secured her third consecutive US figure skating title on Friday, defeating world champion Alysa Liu.
The victory positions Glenn at the forefront of a formidable American women’s team for next month’s Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
US selectors will officially name the Olympic team on Sunday.
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Glenn, Liu, and third-placed Isabeau Levito are poised to challenge for the United States’ first women’s individual figure skating medal since 2006.
Glenn led after the short program and delivered a powerful free skate to clinch the gold medal.
She opened with a triple axel and executed multiple triple jumps, scoring 150.50 points in the free skate for a total of 233.55.
“I had to skate after these two incredible ladies brought the house down,” Glenn said.
Liu finished second overall with a total score of 228.91 points.
The 20-year-old performed a revamped Lady Gaga-inspired free skate, placing third in that segment.
Levito earned second place in the free skate with a performance to “Cinema Paradiso” music, finishing third overall on 224.45 points.
In the pairs event, Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov won their second consecutive national title.
They are the first duo to win back-to-back US pairs gold in over a decade.
The pair scored 132.40 in the free skate for a winning total of 207.71 points.
Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea finished second in the pairs competition with 197.12 points.
“This is very hard to believe,” Efimova told the crowd after their victory.
Efimova’s Olympic participation remains uncertain as she awaits US citizenship confirmation.
The United States will name two pairs teams to its Olympic roster on Sunday. – AFP
