By Lori Ewing
MILAN, Feb 8 (Reuters) – American Amber Glenn said she felt devastated after her free skate in the team event at the Milano Cortina Olympics — but insisted her emotions had nothing to do with the wave of hatred she has faced on social media in recent days.
The three-times U.S. champion was third in the free programme in her Olympic debut, bobbling a triple Lutz in the one major mistake in her programme to score 138.62, 10 points behind winner Kaori Sakamoto of Japan.
Anastasiia Gubanova was second with 140.17.
Earlier on Sunday, Glenn had said she was limiting her use of social media after receiving what she described as “a scary amount” of hate and threats.
The hateful comments were in response to remarks she had made encouraging LGBTQ+ people to stay strong during what she called a difficult period for the community in the U.S.
“I was disappointed because I’ve never had so many people wish me harm before, just for being me and speaking about being decent … human rights and decency,” said Glenn, wearing an LGBTQ+ pin on her U.S. team jacket.
“So that was really disappointing, and I do think it kind of lowered that excitement for this.
“But I don’t think it had anything to do with my performance out there today.”
Her devastated expression while awaiting her score, however, came from feelings of letting her team down, as Japan drew level with the U.S. following the women’s free skate.
“It was guilt. I feel guilty,” Glenn said. “My team has done so well and my performance was lacklustre… I made a few too many mistakes.”
Glenn had feared she might have cost the Americans their chance at gold.
“I could be the reason that we don’t win the gold, and I don’t know how I will ever apologise for that,” she said. “I wish that I could have kept that lead for us. Unfortunately, I lost it.”
She need not have worried. The Americans won gold with Ilia Malinin landing four quadruple jumps to lift the U.S. to the top of the podium.
She also felt bad for piling the pressure on Malinin.
“Honestly, I can’t imagine being in his shoes,” she said. “I’m so sorry that I had to put this pressure onto him.”
Physically, Glenn said she never felt quite right.
“I just did not feel wonderful. Even in the warm ups, my leg was just sore,” she said. “And it’s not an injury, it’s nothing that we need to worry about. It’s just something that I need, that rest and recovery time.”
She described the team format — skating only the free programme after Alysa Liu did the short — as mentally taxing.
“It’s obviously something different, and I’m navigating it as I go,” she said. “Each individual program is what counted instead of an overall, and I think that was a bit much for me mentally.”
Glenn will step away from the Olympic Village briefly to reset at the Ice Lab in Bergamo before the women’s singles event begins on February 17.
Her plan for the break?
“Sleeping. I love sleep. I need sleep,” she said. “And being outside of all the chaos.”
(Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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