The key facts
- Amber Glenn has withdrawn from the Grand Prix stage in Japan; she had earlier also pulled out of the stage in Everett
- The tournament in Tokyo will feature Russians Adelia Petrosyan, Alina Gorbacheva and Vladislav Dikidzhi competing in a neutral status
- Victoria Safonova is named as a replacement candidate, but first in the queue is Japan's Saki Miyake, who is blocked by the limit of three skaters per country
Glenn withdraws from Tokyo
American figure skater Amber Glenn has withdrawn from the final stage of the Grand Prix series in Japan, where Russian skaters Adelia Petrosyan and Alina Gorbacheva are set to compete. The International Skating Union (ISU) press office announced the lineup changes, Life.ru reports on Glenn's withdrawal. NBC Sports links her absence from the series' stages to the athlete's participation in the American TV show Dancing with the Stars. Earlier, Glenn had already pulled out of the home Grand Prix stage in Everett.
Who will take the vacated spot
First in the substitution queue is Japan's Saki Miyake, but she will not be able to compete at the home stage: Japan has already entered the maximum allowed three skaters. Life.ru names Victoria Safonova of Belarus, who is on the reserve list, as the next candidate. Petrosyan and Gorbacheva were also initially on the reserve list but later received invitations: according to Life.ru, Gorbacheva made it into the event after Finland's Olivia Lisko withdrew, and the Figure Skating Federation of Russia confirmed the 19-year-old athlete's participation. This will be her first Grand Prix stage of the current season.
The Russian lineup and their status
The competition in Tokyo will take place from November 27 to 29. In addition to Petrosyan and Gorbacheva, Russian skater Vladislav Dikidzhi is entered in men's singles at the Japanese stage; Russian athletes compete in ISU events in a neutral status. Glenn is the 2026 Olympic champion in the team event, a three-time US champion and the winner of the 2024 ISU Grand Prix Final; at the Olympics in Italy she finished fifth in the individual competition.
