Isabeau Levito She won her first US Figure Skating title at the age of 15, cementing her position as the new leading American woman to open the new Olympics.
Levito, the world junior champion, scored 223.33 points between two strong programs in San Jose, California. Two-time US Champion Brady Tennielwho went 19 months between competitions due to foot and ankle injuries in 2021 and 2022 and scored 213.12.
Tennell was only two hundred behind Levitow after a short on Thursday but had several jumping errors in the free skate.
Levito followed as the last to enter the freestyle and pulled off the most pressure-packed performance of her young career, including the hardest jump combination performed in the entire field. She didn’t get a single negative mark from a judge on her nineteen technical items in her two shows.
Moments later, she was crying backstage.
Snowboarding Nationals: Complete scores | broadcast schedule
“I was very proud of myself for keeping my calm, being very focused, and doing exactly what I was aiming to do,” Levito, who hasn’t finished on the podium in more than 20 events dating back to November 2016, told NBC. “I’m ready to start jumping off the walls.”
Amber Glenn, 23, finished third and is likely to become the oldest US women’s singles skater to participate in the World Championships for the first time in at least 45 years. Glenn fizzled on her 11th attempt to make the all-American women’s roster for a clean triple Axel (according to Skatingscores.com) but still climbed from fourth place after the short program, passing Star Andrews.
Last year, Glenn entered the nationals as the fourth-ranked American woman and hope on the three-woman Olympic team. She ranked 14th in the short program, unknowingly competed with COVID-19, then tested positive and withdrew before the free skate.
In 2021, Glenn was the US silver medalist, but skipped out for a spot on the two-woman world team in favor of the more experienced. Karen Chenwho finished 35 percent behind Glenn at those Nationals.
Levitow, Tennell and Glenn are expected to make the team for the World Championships in March, which will be decided by a panel.
Gracie Gouldthe two-time U.S. champion who was fifth after the short program, featured a pair of planned triple lutz and dropped to eighth.
None of the three athletes will compete in the 2022 Olympics. Alyssa Liu And Maria Bell retired و. Chen is a student at Cornell University and may not return.
The Nationals continue Saturday with free dancing and free skateboarding for couples, live on NBC Sports and peacock.
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