Iconic Olympic figure skater, Kristi Yamaguchi

Kristi Yamaguchi has overcome a lot to become an Olympian athlete. She was born in July 12, 1971 with the turned-in foot syndrome (or Metatarsus Adductus, MTA). At 4, her parents enrolled her in ballet lessons and at 6, in skating lessons, to strengthen her legs and improve her coordination. At age 8, Kristy began a rigorous ice skating training program and got up at 4:00am to practice before school.

 

Her hero? Figure skater Dorothy Hamill who won a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics.

In 1992, Kristi became the first American woman to win the Olympic gold in figure skating since Dorothy.

In Kristi’s own words,

“Winning the Olympic title is one of the proudest moments of my life. And I’m extremely proud to have represented the Olympic movement and the United States at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. This was a wonderful opportunity for not only Americans to see the world’s finest athletes but for the world to see America at its best.”

Yamaguchi also holds 2 World Figure Skating Championships in 1991 and 1992 and a U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1992. She has one a junior world title in 1988 and two national titles in 1989 and 1990 as a pairs skater with Rudy Galindo.

In December 2005, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

Source
http://goldsea.com/Personalities/Inspiring/yamaguchik.html

http://kristiyamaguchi.com/bio/index.html

http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourElement.cgi?element_id=29776&tour_id=15744&category_id=24898

Image from: http://www.themiamiproject.org/x819.xml