Kristi Yamaguchi

Kristi Yamaguchi is a retired Olympic figure skater and author. Yamaguchi was inspired to skate after watching her older sister, and she quickly took to the sport. In her early competition days, she competed with partner Rudy Galindo before moving to Canada in 1991 to concentrate on her individual training.

A rare aspect of Yamaguchi’s career was her competition in both pairs and singles competitions. With Galindo she placed first in the 1989 and 1990 U.S. Championships. As a solo skater, Yamaguchi won two World Championships and a gold medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics, making her the first Asian-American woman to do so. The year prior, she made history as one of the three representatives of the U.S podium sweep alongside Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding, claiming the top spot.

Since she retired in 1992, Yamaguchi has maintained her role as a public figure and wears many hats as an author and philanthropist. She appeared as herself in the Disney movie Go Figure, and made a cameo on ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat.

She tied the knot with retired ice hockey player Bret Hedican in 2000, and they share two daughters Keara (born October 2003) and Emma (born November 2005).