Kristi Yamaguchi: The Ice Queen
Written by Jaya // March 25, 2012 // LIFESTYLE Category // No comments
Elegance, grace, and beauty. Kristi Yamaguchi embodies all of those in the skating rink. It is no wonder she was named the 1992 Winter Olympics Gold Medalist for women’s figure skating. Very few could rival her technicality and her artistry was one of the best.
Born July 17, 1971, Yamaguchi was raised in the bay area of California. Born with clubfeet, many did not think that Kristi would rise to such a height in her career. Kristi began skating at the age of 6. “I saw an ice show and loved the costumes and movement,” Kristi said. “Dorothy Hamill was a big childhood idol of mine,” she added, in an interview with the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
She won her first title, 1988 U.S. Pairs Champions, with Rudy Galindo. Kristi also placed first in the 1988 World Junior Championships in singles skating. With each progressing year, it was obvious that Kristi was becoming a competitor to fear as she began placing higher and higher with every tournament.
Of course the height of her career was in 1992, when she earned the Gold Medal at the Winter Olympics. Surrounding this event she also won the gold in the World Championship (1991 and 1992), Skate America, Nations Cup, and the Goodwill Games in 1992. As pairs, she won the U.S. Championship in 1989 with her award-winning partner Galindo.
In 1998, Yamaguchi was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Game and the following year, the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. In December of 2005, she was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.
She went on tour with Stars on Ice, a touring figure skating show, from 1992- 2002. While touring she also took up writing. She has written two books, Figure Skating for Dummies and an autobiography Kristi Yamaguchi, Always Dream. She also writes children’s books, some titles are It’s a Big World, Little Pig and Dream Big, Little Pig.
Although she had left competition figure skating in the past, she still expresses her undying passion for the arts. In 2008, Kristi appeared on the sixth season of the popular reality show, Dancing With the Stars. With partner and professional dancer, Mark Ballas, she was the second woman in the history of the show to become the champion.
Kristi has a long-list of achievements and medals under her belt but she said that her greatest achievement is her family. “I can’t say I would have done it any other way,” she says. “I definitely feel blessed to have Keara and Emma in my life. My family means everything to me,” said Yamaguchi on her personal website.
-Stormm Van Rooi
