Kristi Yamaguchi, born July 12, 1971, in Fremont, California, is an Olympic gold medal winning figure skater.
Yamaguchi became the first Asian American to win gold at the Winter Olympics when she took home the honor during the 1992 games.
Before focusing on singles, Yamaguchi also competed in pairs with partner Rudy Galindo. In 1991, she was rewarded her first world championship title as a solo skater.
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Among Yamaguchi’s teammates during the 1992 Olympic Games in France were Nancy Kerrigan, who was her roommate during the competition, and Tonya Harding.
During the 1994 games, Yamaguchi did not compete, but Kerrigan and Harding famously did. Kerrigan was struck in the knee while preparing for the games by Harding’s ex-husband, who hired someone for the gruesome act.
In 2019, Yamaguchi posted to X in support of Kerrigan becoming a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars”. She tweeted, “So excited for you @NancyAKerrigan! Can’t wait to see you grace that ballroom floor, break a leg!”
Even though Yamaguchi retired from competing at the Olympic level after the 1992 games, her competitive spirit lived on. In 2005, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
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Yamaguchi won several more World Professional Figure Skating Champions, in 1994, 1996 and 1997.
Several years later, in 2008, Yamaguchi competed on “Dancing with the Stars” herself. She and her partner, Mark Ballas, won the dancing competition that season.
In addition to her athletic ventures, Yamaguchi has also penned several books, mainly for children. Her most popular book is “Dream Big, Little Pig!,” which was published in 2011. She wrote the picture book “It’s a Big World, Little Pig!” the following year.
Yamaguchi is also the founder and board chair of Always Dream, an organization “committed to impacting early literacy through fostering family engagement and building a love of reading.”
Yamaguchi has been married to the former professional ice hockey player Bret Hedican since 2000. They have two children, Keara Kiyomi Hedican and Emma Yoshiko Hedican.
