Amber Glenn wins 3rd straight U.S. figure skating title - ESPN

ST. LOUIS — Amber Glenn won her third consecutive U.S. Figure Skating title Friday night with a brilliant free skate on the heels of an equally impressive performance from world champ Alysa Liu, who remained rinkside to cheer on her soon-to-be teammate on the American team headed for the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Glenn finished with 233.55 points inside the packed Enterprise Center, while Liu was second with 228.91. Isabeau Levito earned the bronze medal with 224.45 points and, more than likely, the final women's spot on the squad for the Winter Games.

The official team announcement comes Sunday.

«Just so grateful. That was terrifying,» said Glenn, who has been on a dominant tear over the past two years. «And I had to skate after two incredible ladies brought down the house. I'm still just mind-blown.»

Earlier in the night, Alisha Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov defended their pairs title despite a couple of mistakes, including a scary moment when Mitrofanov was nearly clipped by Efimova's skate. They finished with 207.71 points to outdistance Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, who were second with 197.12, and the team of Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman.

Now comes a nervous wait to see whether Efimova and Mitrofanov can compete at the Olympics.

While he is a U.S. citizen, born in Wisconsin and raised in Texas, the 26-year-old Efimova was born in Finland and has competed for Germany and Russia along with her native country. Only citizens of the nation they represent are eligible for the Olympics, though, and while Mitrofanov and Efimova are married and she has a green card, she has not received an American passport yet.

The Skating Club of Boston, where the couple trains, has been working with U.S. senators and U.S. Figure Skating