Kristi Yamaguchi

thumb|Kristi Yamaguchi in 1996 Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi (born July 12, 1971) is an American former figure skater. In ladies' singles, Yamaguchi is the 1992 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion (1991 and 1992), and the 1992 U.S. champion. In 1992, she became the first Asian-American woman to win a gold medal in a Winter Olympic competition. As a pairs skater with Rudy Galindo, she is the 1988 World Junior champion and a two-time national champion (1989 and 1990). In December 2005, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Quotes There was always just that challenge of getting better, and every year having a new goal and getting a step closer to the ultimate dream. I really didn’t have the dream of the Olympics until I was maybe in middle school. And, at that point, it started to get a little harder. My life centered around skating—training before and after school. It was a huge time commitment for me and my family. "The Interview: Kristi Yamaguchi" in Nob Hill Gazette (1 February 2018) I’d never skated just to win a gold medal before; I’d never put that kind of pressure on myself. "Kristi Yamaguchi, Unlaced" in Shondaland (3 January 2018) Even as an athlete, I am constantly inspired and awed by the stories of Olympians. I was honored to have been asked to exchange ideas in the first charrette. "Kristi Yamaguchi Interview" in United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum In terms of my career, having the gold definitely changed my life. The Olympics are different, you know? They’re every four years and it’s such a small group. So for me, having achieved the gold, there’s a certain prestige that comes along with it, and responsibilities and things like that, you know, “master to your sport.” "Kristi Yamaguchi answers EW readers' questions!" in Entertainment Weekly (3 August 2020) Now is really the time to raise more awareness of what’s going on and to demand that things change. This younger generation is not afraid to speak out, I think they’ve given a lot of us courage to really stand up to what’s right, and I think that’s what we need to follow "Kristi Yamaguchi: 'The entire Asian American community is on alert'" in The Hill Looking back, it's like, wow, those few minutes just made such an impact. We have that much time to kind of prove yourself. I think that's one thing that makes skating so exciting, because it's just intense, and it's quick, and one little slip can mean the difference between placing or not placing. "Kristi Yamaguchi looks back on 1992 Olympic gold, talks Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan" in TODAY (6 February 2018) Winning the gold opened up a lot of opportunities, other challenges that I wanted to take on and do in my life. "Kristi Yamaguchi is still winning" in USA Today (31 January 2014) The reward of putting a smile on a child’s face, who has to deal with so many challenges in life, is just beyond words. It's incredible. "Kristi Yamaguchi: My Life After Figure Skating" in ABC News (12 March 2015) External links Category:Figure skaters Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:Japanese Americans Category:Women from the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists Category:Sportspeople from California Category:Women born in the 1970s