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Amber Glenn of the United States reacts during the Women's Free Skate at the ISU Figure Skating World Championships 2026 at O2 Arena Prague on March 27, 2026, in Prague, Czech Republic. (Photo by Yuan Tian/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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For the first time in three years, the American women failed to medal at a world figure skating championships. While Kaori Sakamoto and Mone Chiba of Japan powered to a dominant 1-2 finish, Nina Pinzarrone upset the Americans to clinch a surprise bronze medal.
The U.S. women leave without hardware just weeks after Alysa Liu made history for the delegation, winning gold in Milan-Cortina. Liu’s win was the first U.S. Olympic gold medal in women’s singles since 2002. Liu also won the 2025 world title, becoming the first U.S. woman to do so since 2006.
However, the skater-turned-overnight celebrity opted to withdraw from this month’s world championships, choosing to focus on professional and promotional opportunities after her historic win.
Despite the withdrawal of their Olympic Champion, U.S. Figure Skating sent a formidable women’s team to Prague. USFS sent three women to compete at the 2026 ISU Figure Skating Championships in Prague.
Among them were 2026 Olympians Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito, and world championship rookie Sarah Everhardt.
The Americans had the talent to contend for medals – so, what happened?
Levito Goes for Broke, Finishes Fourth
Levito finished a disappointing 12th place in Milan-Cortina, but was the top finisher among the Americans this week, placing fourth, just one spot shy of Belgium’s Nina Pinzarrone.
The 19-year-old finished nine points off the podium, primarily after small errors in Friday’s free skate. Feeling that she “played it safe” in Milan-Cortina, Levito impressed with a new, highly difficult jumping combination.
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USA's Isabeau Levito performs during the women's free skating program of the 2026 ISU Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic on March 27, 2026. (Photo by Michal Cizek / AFP via Getty Images)
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She successfully completed this combination in the short program, incurring only an “edge call” for the execution of her opening jump, a triple Lutz. However, the skater’s attempt in the free skate was noticeably imperfect. She landed deep on her Lutz, resulting in a significant under-rotation on her second jump.
In result, the second triple jump was downgraded to a double by the technical panel, hurting her total score. Though the rest of Levito’s program was clean, the opening mistake kept her behind Pinzarrone, who achieved a personal-best score.
This week’s result marked Levito’s third occasion finishing fourth at the world championships. She finished as high as second in 2024, winning silver. Though she finished just off the podium in Prague, Levito’s gutsy skates were a sign of renewed motivation and competitive drive after Olympic disappointment.
“I’m fourth at Worlds, which is still a very good accomplishment,” Levito said. "I don’t really feel tired. I still feel somewhat happy.”
MORE FROM FORBESKaori Sakamoto Wins Fourth World Title In ‘Storybook’ Career FinaleBy Caroline Price
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Amber Glenn and the Triple Loop
Three-time U.S. National champion Amber Glenn finished fifth at the Milan-Cortina Olympics after a disastrous short program, but entered Prague as the Americans’ best hope for a medal.
After she placed third in Wednesday’s short program, it seemed Glenn would finally clinch an elusive individual medal. However, the veteran skater collapsed in Friday’s free skate, dropping to seventh place.
Though the 26-year-old opened her program beautifully, with one of the highest-graded triple Axels in her career, her program unraveled after a botched triple loop attempt – the same jump that ended her Olympic medal bid in February.
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PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - MARCH 27: Amber Glenn of United States competes in the Women's Free Skating during the ISU World Figure Skating Championships at O2 Arena on March 27, 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic. (Photo by Joosep Martinson - International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)
International Skating Union via Getty Images
While the mistake was costly, Glenn could have clinched bronze with a near-perfect skate following the error. However, she was unable to regain her composure and committed multiple errors on additional elements. At the close, Glenn looked devastated and exhausted.
“I just lost focus. I did the tough stuff and let the easy things kind of get away from me,” Glenn said after her performance.
The result marks an unfortunate pattern for the skater, who has struggled at key moments on the international stage. Despite her gold-medal potential and three U.S. titles, Glenn has finished 12th, 10th, 5th, and 6th at the world championships.
Sarah Everhardt’s World Championship Debut
Sarah Everhardt was sent to Prague after Liu’s withdrawal and performed impressively in her world championship debut. After two clean skates, Everhardt finished just outside the top ten in eleventh.
Though she wasn’t in contention for the medals due to her lower base values, the 19-year-old put forward a calm and collected effort beyond her years. Across her two days of skating, Everhardt committed only one moderate landing error, stepping out of her triple Salchow towards the end of her free skate.
Looking forward into the 2030 Olympic cycle, the skater will be one to watch.
MORE FROM FORBESIlia Malinin Wins Third World Title In Redemptive Free SkateBy Caroline Price
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