The night belonged to Amber Glenn, but she wouldn't celebrate it alone ~ ERIUS MAG

ST. LOUIS —Alysa Liuand Isabeau Levito had to watch.

The figure skaters had just finished their own sensational free skates and stuck around near the rink to watchAmber Glenncap off an epic night on the ice here at the2026 U.S. figure skating championships.

When Glenn stepped inside the rink, on the verge of securing her third consecutive national title, she felt like she was going to throw up, trying to fake it until she could make it.

"I was just trying to get in touch with my body and get a feel of the ice," she said.

One triple Axel into the skate was all it took to know there was no faking this. This was Glenn's night — and she becameU.S. champion for the third straight year.

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Glenn and coach Damon Allen burst with shock and elation and tears when her season-best score of 150.50 posted. They sat with each other in the kiss-and-cry, soaking in Glenn being the first woman to win three straight titles since Michelle Kwan's reign of dominance from 1998-2005.

But Glenn wasn't going to revel in this moment without Liu and Levito. She brought them into the kiss-and-cry with her, and they shared a long embrace, expressing appreciation for one another.

"I'm still in disbelief," Glenn said. "Honestly, the ladies were on fire this competition, and I couldn't be more proud of how far we've come as Team USA."

Just two days prior, the women put on a performance for the ages in the short program, leaving some to wonder if they witnessed the greatest night in U.S. women's figure skating history. How were these women going to top that?

But they wound up doing just that as the final three performances of the night, each scoring a season-high mark. Levito was elegant and graceful in her "Cinema Paradiso" performance.Liu's revamped "Lady Gaga" medleylooked massively improved compared to a few months ago.

Then Glenn put the bow on it all with a fierce program that showed no hints of a nervous skater. Rather, she performed like someone who has made immense progress in handling the pressure and expectations that come with being one of the top skaters in the country.

"I've been working on the mental and physical side for a while now, and I'm happy to see it come together," Glenn said. "I just need to embrace that nothing's going to be perfect all the time, and as long as I keep that in mind, then I should be able to go forward without feeling too impostery."

Her free skate left the audience wowed, and made for a great time to watch for Liu and Levito. Levito told Glenn she wasn't worried at all because Glenn looked like she had it down, while Liu was just trying to put herself in Glenn's shoes and just breathe.

"Everyone's telling me it was fun to watch. I'm like, I agree," she said. "Watching Amber was really fun for me."

For as much as this night belongs to Glenn, she was keen on making it about the trio. She could hear Lady Gaga playing for Liu and the roars of the crowd, and she caught the second half of Levito's program.

Knowing her fellow skaters rocked the arena as much as she did, Glenn wanted to share the stage with Liu and Levito. It was just another example ofhow this generation of stars areset on sharing love and accomplishments with each other.

This trio left no doubt that they will be the three women representing the U.S. at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Even better, they are formidable contenders to break the 20-year Olympic medal drought in women's skating.

When that happens, you can bet it'll be just like Friday night in St. Louis, all celebrating together.