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USA Figure Skater Amber Glenn Suggests Period Played Role in Olympics Stumble

Team USA women's figure skater Amber Glenn made a telling social media post after her Olympics mishap.
Grant Young|
Amber Glenn (28) of the United States
Amber Glenn (28) of the United States | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The USA women's figure skating team has three hopefuls to find the podium during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

These three women are Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levito. If any of them made it to the podium, it would be the first time a USA women's figure skater won an individual medal at the Winter Olympics since 2006.

Amber Glenn (28) of the United States
Amber Glenn (28) of the United States | James Lang-Imagn Images

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Unfortunately, Glenn's chances of winning a medal took a brutal hit after she stumbled during her performance on February 13.

She now sits in 13th place, despite winning first place at the U.S. Championships last month, heading into the final.

Amber Glenn (28) of the United States
Amber Glenn (28) of the United States | James Lang-Imagn Images

Amber Glenn's Post About Competing During Her Period Turns Heads

Glenn was visibly emotional after she stumbled during her program. And rightfully so, given how hard she has trained to make it to this point.

On February 18, Glenn shared an Instagram post from @itsclickclack that seemed to suggest one unfortunate (albeit natural) aspect of her performance going awry.

"Menstrual cycles can influence women’s performance in nuanced ways, affecting energy levels, concentration, mood, and physical comfort at different phases of the cycle. Symptoms like cramps, fatigue, headaches, or hormonal shifts may temporarily reduce focus or endurance, while other phases can support strength and mental clarity.

"Importantly, the impact varies widely between individuals and even month to month, and many women perform at a high level throughout their cycle," the post wrote.

Amber Glenn (28) of the United States
Amber Glenn (28) of the United States | James Lang-Imagn Images

"Yet, we never stop competing. Here’s a conversation on Threads we found interesting from former Olympians. We’ll never stop praising women for performing on their periods," it continued.

Glenn then added a caption to this to her Instagram story on Wednesday, writing, "Can also make you emotional during high stress situations ..... 🫡".

Amber Glenn's February 19 Instagram story post.
Amber Glenn's February 19 Instagram story post. | Instagram/@amberglenniceskater

Without saying it directly, Glenn is seemingly making it clear that she was dealing with an unavoidable factor during the biggest performance of her life.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the Athlete Lifestyle, Women’s Basketball, the New York Mets, the Baltimore Orioles, the Chicago Cubs, and boxing for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years.

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