Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchiis an American former figure skater. In ladies' singles, Yamaguchi is the 1992 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion, and the 1992 U.S. champion. As a pairs skater with Rudy Galindo, she is the 1988 World Junior champion and a two-time national champion. In her earlier figure skating days, her youth partner was Michael Teves. In December 2005, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. In 2008, Yamaguchi became the celebrity champion in the sixth...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFigure Skater
Date of Birth12 July 1971
CityHayward, CA
CountryUnited States of America
Now, I am thrilled to be a wife and mother, and I hope to be as good of a mother as my own mother, Carole.
My experience at the 1992 Winter Olympics was my fulfillment of dreaming the Impossible Dream.
I'm kind of a homebody. My husband says I like to just stay home and do nothing, but that's just how I am.
They say, once you have a child, your heart is forever outside your body. I totally understand that now.
Figure skaters have awful perceptions of hockey players.
With 30,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations from the seasonal flu, those numbers are certainly higher than what we've seen of the swine flu. Protecting yourself from both viruses is very important.
The skaters a lot of times do their own hair and makeup before they compete. That was always kind of a ritual...that calming, quiet time where you can just do your hair and makeup. And then I would always lace up my right skate before my left one.
Being an athlete, you know how to train and prepare your body for a performance and you're able to do it under pressure.
I'm always looking for inspiring ways to stay motivated and stay active.
I learned to put 100 percent into what you're doing. I learned about setting goals for yourself, knowing where you want to be and taking small steps toward those goals. I learned about adversity and how to get past it.
At 6 years old, the ice became a place for me to express myself. Because I was so shy off the ice, it became my safe haven, with music and freedom and self-expression. That was my emotional outlet.
I've realized how precious life is. When I was younger, I was more adventurous. I felt invincible. I was game for everything. As a mom, I don't want to get injured because then I can't take care of my kids.
I'd try to channel my nervous energy in a positive way into strength and endurance. It didn't always work.
Every day, someone realizes a dream. I believe dreams help light our darkness and give us the push we need to move across the rink of life.