"There was a lot of grief and loss involved"- Amber Glenn gets real about struggles with mental health after World Championship loss

American figure skater Amber Glenn shared that experiencing grief and loss affected her mental health, thus impacting her performances at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2025. The event began on March 25 and will run through the 30th.

Glenn, the reigning US National Champion, entered the competition as the American favorite. She started her campaign with the short program but delivered poorly, finishing ninth in 67.65 as fellow US skater, Alysa Liu, clinched the top spot. Glenn then took the rink in the free skate finals and clinched fourth place with 138.00. Her effort earned her fourth place in the overall standings with 205.65.

After bouncing back from her underwhelming short skate stint, the 25-year-old said that her practice had been fine, but experiences of personal loss and grief impacted her mentally.

"Training has been going well, but I’ve been struggling a lot with my mental health the last month. There was a lot of grief and loss involved, and so it’s been very tough lately.”

She expressed pride in Alysa Liu as she stood as the sole American in the top three.

"Today was okay. I am incredibly proud because we will have at least one American on the podium, these other two girls are amazing. Love our team."

Glenn began the 2025 season with a third-place finish in short skate at the US Figure Skating Championships. Despite her fall in her last jump in the free skate event, a clean axel and a couple of other moves landed her the gold.

Amber Glenn took time to recover from her past injuries before turning her focus to competitions

Amber Glenn performs at "Legacy On Ice" U.S. Figure Skating Benefit - (Source: Getty)

In 2023, Amber Glenn collided with another skater during practice and fractured her orbital bone from a concussion that led to her missing major competitions. She came back to win her second Grand Prix medal in 2024 and continued to excel in 2025 as well.

In a conversation with Gracie Gold in March 2025, Glenn recalled the recovery days and how taking things slow benefitted her:

"I made sure I did a lot of therapy and I went about it the healthy way," Glenn said of the concussion recovery. "I didn't rush back into things, and that was something that I did a lot better [this time]. Whereas in the past, I rushed myself to get back... it didn't matter. Concussions can cause long-term effects - for your entire life. So it's really, really important. And I've found great ways to try and heal from those injuries."

The 25-year-old has been open about her sexuality and became the only LGBTQIA+ female skater in Team USA.