Everything seemed to fall into place for Amber Glenn so far. Placing third after the short program, the 26-year-old was finally within reach of her first World Championship medal, the reward for steady progress through 12th, 10th, and 5th in her previous appearances. Yet even as she closed in on a long-awaited breakthrough and her Olympic debut drew nearer, Glenn’s pursuit of the podium came at a quiet personal cost.

The American didn’t quite live up to expectations at both the World Championships and the Olympics, but despite that, she has no regrets giving up those financial opportunities to focus on her training.

“There was a thought of, I had to turn down so many career opportunities that I was thinking about,” Glenn told Olympics.com. “Of, ‘I could make this money, or I could be on this public stage, or I can attend this premiere, but I need to be responsible and train for worlds’. I’m so grateful that I have these, and hopefully we’ll continue to have opportunities like this because of the Olympics.

“But it was something that I haven’t had to manage before, because I hadn’t been to the Olympics before, so it was very different.”

Amber Glenn’s Olympic debut brought mixed fortunes. The 26-year-old played a key role in helping Team USA capture gold in the team event, earning her first Olympic medal, but she faltered in the individual competition. Glenn began her short program in Milan looking sharp and confident, yet a small mistake derailed her chance at a podium finish.

She redeemed herself with a commanding free skate that lifted her from 13th to 5th overall. This was a strong finish that gave her valuable momentum heading into the World Championships, where she made full use of it.

An equally outstanding short program saw her return to medal contention, albeit a distant third behind Kaori Sakamoto and Mone Chiba. But it wasn’t to be for Glenn as she reflected on her performance despite falling short yet again.

Amber Glenn reflects on her World’s performance

This time, she faltered in the free skate. She kicked things off with a spectacular and flawless triple axel, but then produced error after error, which hurt her final score. In the end, one downgraded jump became four, and she dropped from third to sixth, scoring 130.47, the ninth best on the day, for a final score of 203.12.

That meant she would end up finishing nearly twelve points behind third-place Nina Pinzarrone and just over three points behind fellow American Isabeau Levito.

“In the free skate, I feel like I kind of got lost halfway through,” Glenn explained. “I was trying so hard to stay calm because that’s usually been my issue, and I kind of just lost my focus.”

And yet, despite things not going her way on the final stage, the three-time US Champion couldn’t miss the World Championships for anything, especially after Milan.

“I had no doubt, because I knew that I wanted to do my short,” Glenn added. “That’s why I came to Prague, and I did it, so mission accomplished. I wish I would’ve done another loop [in the free], but I knew that I wasn’t gonna be able to stop thinking about it until I did.”

Now 26, Amber Glenn ended another figure skating season without a World Championship medal, and, given her age, there have been rumours that she’s set to retire.

But given Glenn’s career and her late-stage blossoming, powering through a variety of injuries and other issues, the American could be back for another try next season. Only time will tell, though.