Figure skaters Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu are top contenders for the 2026 U.S. figure skating championships.
The duo’s contrasting ‘Type A’ and ‘Type B’ personalities create a dynamic and supportive partnership.
Glenn and Liu are favorites to end a 20-year Olympic medal drought for U.S. women’s singles skaters.
Despite being competitors, Glenn and Liu have a strong friendship and often learn from each other’s approach to the sport.
A popular theory is people have two types of personalities: Type A or Type B.
Type A people are driven, competitive multi-taskers who manage their time to best achieve goals. Type B are relaxed, patient and care-free people who don’t get rattled and do things at their own pace.
On the U.S. figure skating team, it’s Type A Amber Glenn and Type B Alysa Liu. So, what do you get when you mix the two? A dynamic, powerhouse duo.
“It’s Type A, Type B people side-by-side, and having a little bit of both usually ends up being a perfect match,” Glenn said.
After an impressive 2025, Glenn and Liu head into the 2026 U.S. figure skating championships this week looking for that final boost of momentum to take into the 2026 Winter Olympics. With that, they can lead Team USA into Milano Cortina poised to break the American hardware drought.
Get our Chasing Gold Olympics newsletter in your inbox for coverage of your favorite Team USA athletes
What makes Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu US favorites
The past year of has been filled with success for Glenn, 26, and Liu, 20. At the 2025 U.S. figure skating championships, Glenn won gold and Liu took silver by a narrow margin.
Since then, both helped Team USA win the 2025 World Team Trophy, Liu captured gold at the 2025 World Championship and 2025 Skate America while Glenn won the 2025 Cup of China. At the 2025 Grand Prix final in December, Liu won gold and Glenn finished fourth.
Both skaters are near locks to be on the Olympic team, which will be announced on Sunday, Jan. 11, while the rest of the field is fighting for the third and final spot on the women’s side. But that doesn’t mean it’s a week to take off. Glenn and Liu will be the favorites to win the U.S. title, and a podium finish could give that extra boost of confidence with the Winter Olympics starting in early February.
Luckily, both of them are hitting their stride at the right time.
Liu has come back from her retirement a stronger skater who has upped her artistry. Even though she is a calm person who doesn’t seemed bothered by much, she has really appreciated what it’s taken to reach that next level after she was a teenage star.
“I’m really enjoying my time. I really value my training. That’s kind of why I came back,” Liu told USA TODAY Sports in November. “I love training every day and putting my energy into something all the time.”
For the U.S. championships, all signs point to Liu finally using her Lady Gaga-inspired free skate fans have been clamoring for. Liu had said it just wasn’t quite right and needed to be worked on before she performed it. If all goes well, it could be the skate she takes with her to the Olympics.
Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports’ WhatsApp Channel
On the other hand, Glenn takes big chances with some technically difficult programs that often lead to big rewards. She’s a resilient, outspoken skater who has found the right place for her mentally, which has led to success. However, Glenn didn’t have the performance she wanted at the Grand Prix Final. It left her “invigorated” going into 2026, eager to defend her U.S. title and make it back-to-back-to-back crowns.
“It lit a fire in me that I really want to continue that rise, and I just have to remind myself that I’ve earned it, I’ve worked for it and I just need to do what I can do,” she said. “As long as I stay true to myself, I think I will be satisfied with whatever result I end up with at nationals.”
Challengers at 2026 Winter Olympics
The impressive showings are why Glenn and Liu are favorites to win medals in the Winter Olympics, something that no American women’s skater has done in the singles event since 2006, when Sasha Cohen took silver. Twenty years without a medal is the longest drought for the U.S. since the event began in 1924.
Glenn and Liu could also give the U.S. its first gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002. The women’s field is wide open, although there are stiff challengers.
Russia has always presented the greatest challenge, and it will get to send one skater as an Individual Neutral Athlete. Adeliia Petrosian gets the opportunity and is positioned to medal, if not win gold. Japan will also send three skaters, headlined by 2022 bronze medalist Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai.
Those competitors are something to think about for Glenn and Liu, but they’re not the focus at the moment.
“It can be easy to get wrapped up in the Olympic conversation and what’s going on around you, rather than just focusing on what your individual goals are,” Glenn said.
Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu’s friendship
Given their recent runs, it could be easy to pit Glenn and Liu as rivals, but they’re far from it.
They can be seen on each other’s social media often, making Tik Tok videos. They hang out outside of competitions, including when they went on an adventure during the Grand Prix Finals in Japan.
“She’s just such a big sister to me,” Liu said of Glenn. “The idea that we compete against each other, it’s so weird to me. I really just see her as one of my friends and truly one of my teammates. I don’t know, doing things with her is really fun.”
Not only are they friends, but they’ve also learned plenty from each other. Glenn has seen Liu’s approach to skating and it has reminded her even though figure skating is intense, it’s also something they love.
Although their careers aren’t the same, they share the same traits. It hasn’t been all glory. There have been peaks and valleys that have shaped where they are now. It has brought what Glenn said is a “new perspective to what a skating career over time looks like,” helping lead a new era that is trying to bring a team-oriented group that supports each other – and has the other’s back.
“It’s been great to have someone that has such a positive outlook on skating and on her career around me,” Glenn said. “And then on the flip side, I have an extra pair of tights if she rips them and doesn’t have a backup, or I have the schedule ready because she doesn’t have it.”
Type A and Type B, a perfect blend.