MILAN — When Amber Glenn skated in the women’s short program at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Tuesday, she appeared to put together a clean routine at first glance.
But in the end, she placed 13th with a score of 67.39 and came off the ice knowing that her chances at a medal had been effectively ruined, thanks to a jump that earned her zero points.
The jump in question went into the record as an “invalid element.” Here’s what that means and why it was a critical error in her routine, even though she did not fall.
What went wrong during her short program?
Glenn started well. She landed her first triple axel, resulting in loud cheers from the crowd at Milano Ice Skating Arena. She also executed a triple flip and triple toe loop, which the judges approved. Fans were singing along to her song choice of “Like a Prayer” by Madonna.
But then, Glenn was supposed to perform a triple loop. She leaped, but came out of her jump and performed only a double loop. It was immediately ruled an invalid element.
Why was it invalid?
Glenn’s short program required her final jump to be a triple. Each skater is required to perform three jumps: an axel of some kind, a combination jump that includes a triple, and another triple.
The lack of the final triple made the element invalid.
What do the rules say about invalid elements?
Invalid elements are considered violations of the guidelines set by the International Skating Union. They result in zero points toward the technical element portion of the score, which is a baseline for the judging panel to work from as they consider each routine.
Common examples of invalid elements include surpassing jump quotas, like using more than two of the same triple or quad move. They also include incorrect jump combinations and invalid spins.
How did the invalid element hurt Glenn’s score? (Joosep Martinson / Getty Images)
How did the invalid element hurt Glenn’s score?
The zero made Glenn’s technical score much lower than she anticipated. Had she performed the triple loop, she would have had a higher technical component score.
Ami Nakai, for example, performed a triple loop and earned a technical component score of 6.65 points en route to leading the field ahead of Thursday’s free skate. Isabeau Levito of the United States also performed a triple loop and earned a technical component score of 5.04.
A technical panel watching the routine makes those calls about the elements that are performed and the levels for which skaters are credited.
What if Glenn had fallen instead?
If she had executed the triple loop, but not to perfection, it wouldn’t have been as punitive as the invalid element. Had Glenn fallen, she would have automatically had one point deducted from her score.
But even that would have been a better outcome than the zero she was given for landing a double loop in place of the required triple.
Has this happened before?
There is a history of invalid elements occurring in international figure skating competitions.
The backflip was banned from 1977 to 2024, after U.S. skater Terry Kubicka performed it at the 1976 World Championships. At the Nagano 1998 Games, French figure skater Suraya Bonaly performed the backflip, earning a standing ovation from the crowd and a penalty from the judges. She finished 10th and missed the podium. At the 2024 World Championships, France’s Adam Siao Him Fa earned deductions for his backflip, though he still managed to win bronze.
American figure skater Elaine Zayak has a rule named after her because of invalid elements. At the 1982 World Championships, Zayak landed six triple jumps to win the title, though four of them were triple toe loops. This resulted in the “Zayak Rule,” which states that skaters cannot complete the same triple jump more than once in a routine.