Alysa Liu Shines, While Amber Glenn Is Haunted By A Big Mistake In Olympic Figure Skating

MILAN — Then location is one.

With 3 beardown contenders for nan podium successful nan women’s fig skating competition, nan United States’ hopes now remainder almost wholly connected Alysa Liu, who vanished successful 3rd spot successful nan short programme connected Tuesday.

The reigning world champion could extremity nan United States’ 20-year Olympic badge drought successful nan women’s singles competition. The past U.S. female to guidelines connected an Olympic podium was Sasha Cohen successful 2006.

The United States was primed to extremity nan drought pinch Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito, but only Liu is successful nan apical six aft nan short program. Levito skated cleanly but enters Thursday’s free skate successful seventh. Glenn’s programme started almost flawlessly pinch a dependable triple axel, but she popped her past jumping walk and earned zero points connected it. After her program, she clutched nan necklaces connected her burgundy lace dress and knelt astatine halfway ice. She collapsed down successful tears erstwhile she hugged her coach.

Glenn’s 67.39 points put her safely into Thursday’s free skate but astatine 13th place, she is good extracurricular nan badge race. She sat successful nan kiss-and-cry area for respective other seconds pinch her caput bowed aft her people was announced to process her performance.

Glenn’s earthy emotion and her triple axel are her calling cards while trying to guidelines retired successful nan wide unfastened women’s field. Japan’s 17-year-old Ami Nakai was nan only different competitor to effort a triple axel Tuesday and she soared to first spot successful nan short programme pinch 78.71 points. Fellow Japanese prima Kaori Sakamoto scored 77.23 points for 2nd place. As she near nan ice, fans held up orangish towels pinch Sakamoto’s name. She paused to soak successful nan sight.

Liu received immoderate of nan loudest applause of nan night. Before opening her program, she skated by nan boards and precocious fived some of her coaches, who hugged and hopped for joyousness erstwhile Liu executed her tricky triple lutz-triple loop operation jump. After hitting her ending pose, Liu covered her look to hide nan tears that often good up successful her eyes aft her programme group to “Promise.”

Levito, skating successful her mother’s hometown of Milan wherever her grandma still lives, calmly aced her Olympic debut pinch a people of 70.84 that put her successful eighth place. Her programme pays homage to Sophia Loren, nan iconic Italian actress. Levito was nan past U.S. skater to return Olympic crystal aft not participating successful nan squad program. But nan two-week hold didn’t shape nan 18-year-old New Jersey autochthonal known for her classic, balletic style. After her program, she softly pumped her fist arsenic if it was conscionable different successful activity day.