Amber Glenn defended her title as the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, landing a massive triple axel early in the program and then watching in stressful anticipation as Alysa Liu came up just short of surpassing her.

Yelim Kim breezed through a near-flawless short program to edge 15-year-old American rival Isabeau Levito and build the slimmest of leads on Thursday night at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.

Multiple medals at the World Figure Skating Championships are rare for the United States. Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue collected bronze in ice dance. Hubbell and Donohue figure to be tested by Madison Chock and Evan Bates, with whom they have swapped U.S. titles in recent years. Hubbell and Donohue edged Chock and Bates in January at nationals, reversing the finish for each couple in 2019. “Madison Chock and Evan Bates have only competed once this season, where Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue have been stellar in their events, and I think the momentum is in their favor.

“I’m thrilled with the short program today," said the two-time world gold medalist. "At the beginning of this year at a small, local competition, in Colorado, I scored 103 with a clean program. WOMENNational champion Bradie Tennell and third-place finisher Karen Chen were selected for the world championships team. Tennell won her second U.S. title Friday night; she also finished first in 2018. The 2021 world championships are set for March 22-28 in Stockholm.

Bradie Tennell performs during the women's free skate at the U.S. (AP Photo/John Locher)LAS VEGAS – Bradie Tennell is back on top of American figure skating. They sure missed an edge-of-your seat women's free skate. Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier have a six-point lead over Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson headed into the pairs free skate, and the free dance wraps up the evening session. “We're really confident in our free dance,” Hubbell said after watching Chock and Bates perform Friday, “and it's not over till it's over.