American · Hayward, California, USA · Born 12 July 1971American figure skater who became the first Asian American to win a Winter Olympics gold medal, after starting as a pairs skater before switching to singles.
Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi was born on 12 July 1971 in Hayward, California, and began skating as a young girl inspired by watching 1976 Olympic champion Dorothy Hamill, whose doll she carried everywhere. Competing in both singles and pairs with partner Rudy Galindo, she won the 1988 World Junior pairs title and two U.S. national pairs titles before dropping pairs to focus solely on singles competition. Yamaguchi won her first World Championship title in 1991 in Munich, part of a historic American sweep of the podium with Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. At the 1992 Albertville Olympics, she skated a nearly flawless free program to win gold, becoming the first Asian American to win a Winter Olympics gold medal and the first American woman to win the title since Hamill in 1976, before successfully defending her World title weeks later in her hometown. Yamaguchi turned professional after the 1992 season, winning the World Professional Figure Skating Championships four times, and was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1998. She founded the Always Dream Foundation to support childhood literacy, has authored several children's books, and won the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars in 2008.
Becoming the first Asian American to win a Winter Olympics gold medal
How They Played
Elegant, artistically refined skater renowned for effortless-looking technical mastery and triple-triple combinations
Lasting Impact
A trailblazer whose graceful, classically elegant skating and Olympic breakthrough opened doors for generations of Asian American figure skaters
Career Honours
- 1992 Olympic Gold Medal
- 2x World Champion (1991, 1992)
- 1988 World Junior Champion (pairs, with Rudy Galindo)
- First Asian American Winter Olympics gold medalist
American Athletes