Kristi Yamaguchi

Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi (born July 12, 1971) is an American former competitive figure skater, author and philanthropist. A former competitor in women's 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 to win a gold medal in a Winter Olympic competition. in Hayward, California, to Jim Yamaguchi, a dentist, and Carole (née Doi), a medical secretary. Yamaguchi is Sansei (a third-generation descendant of Japanese emigrants). Her paternal grandparents and maternal great-grandparents emigrated to the United States from Japan, originating from Wakayama Prefecture and Saga Prefecture. Yamaguchi's grandparents were sent to an internment camp during World War II, where her mother was born. Her maternal grandfather, George A. Doi, was in the U.S. Army and fought in Germany and France during World War II during the time his family was interned at the Heart Mountain and Amache camps. Research done in 2010 by Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. for the PBS series Faces of America showed that Yamaguchi's heritage can be traced back to Wakayama and Saga prefectures in Japan and that her paternal grandfather, Tatsuichi Yamaguchi, emigrated to Hawaii in 1899.

Yamaguchi and her siblings, Brett and Lori, grew up in Fremont, California. In order to accommodate her training schedule, Yamaguchi was home-schooled for her first two years of high school, but attended Mission San Jose High School for her junior and senior years, where she graduated.

Competitive skating career

Early career Yamaguchi was born with bi-lateral clubfoot, resulting in treatment with the Ponseti method during her early years: she wore a series of leg casting for most of the first year of her life, followed by corrective shoes and bracing.

From sixth grade on, Yamaguchi practiced from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. before school and sometimes after school. Her mother would drive her to the rink every morning at 4 a.m. and wait for her to finish. She would also accompany Yamaguchi to several competitions a month. Two years later, Yamaguchi won the singles and, with Galindo, the pairs titles at the 1988 World Junior Championships; Galindo had won the 1987 World Junior Championship in singles. In 1989 Yamaguchi and Galindo won the senior pairs title at the U.S. Championships. They won the title again in 1990.

As a pairs team, Yamaguchi and Galindo were unusual in that they were both accomplished singles skaters, which allowed them to consistently perform difficult elements like side by side triple flip jumps, which even twenty years later would still be considered a very difficult pair element. They also jumped and spun in opposite directions, Yamaguchi counter-clockwise, and Galindo clockwise, which gave them an unusual look on the ice. In 1990, Yamaguchi decided to focus solely on singles. Galindo went on to have a successful singles career as well, winning the 1996 U.S. championships and the 1996 World bronze medal.

Singles career

1989–90 season: Goodwill Games gold Yamaguchi won her first major international gold medal in figure skating at the 1990 Goodwill Games.

1990–91 season: First world title In 1991, Yamaguchi moved to Edmonton, Alberta, to train with coach Christy Ness. There, she took psychology courses at the University of Alberta. The same year, Yamaguchi placed second to Tonya Harding at the U.S. championships, her third consecutive silver medal at Nationals, with a free skate that included a fall on a triple Salchow but also six clean triple jumps.

1991–92 season: Olympic gold and second world title In 1992, Yamaguchi won her first U.S. title and gained a spot to the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Joining her on the U.S. team were again Kerrigan and Harding. While Harding and Japan's Midori Ito were consistently landing the difficult triple Axel jump in competition, Yamaguchi instead focused on her artistry and her triple-triple combinations in hopes of becoming a more well-rounded skater.

Professional skating career Yamaguchi planned to start the 1992-93 competitive season at Prague Skate in Czechoslovakia in November but U.S Figure Skating insisted that all its skaters compete at Skate America, which was due to take place a month earlier in October. Skate America became a source of contention between the federation and Yamaguchi, who was unable to be ready in time due to a busy schedule with commercial appearances and speaking engagements following her wins at the 1992 Winter Olympics and 1992 World Championships. As a result, Yamaguchi decided to turn professional after the 1991–92 competitive season By the time she stopped competing as a professional, she had become a four-time professional world champion (1992, 1994, 1996 and 1997). She finished second in 1993 behind Midori Ito and in 1995 behind Yuka Sato.

She toured extensively with Stars On Ice for over a decade. She collaborated with a variety of choreographers to create diverse programs. "A lot of us on the Stars on Ice tour took pride in trying to stay innovative and bring something new to the ice every year," Yamaguchi noted.

Public life and popular culture

Sponsorships, endorsements and partnerships After her 1992 Olympics victory, Yamaguchi appeared in many advertisements and endorsement deals. She appeared on cereal boxes like Kellogg's Special K, on Hallmark Christmas ornaments, in ads for Got Milk? and Hoechst Celanese, as well as commercials for chains like Mervyn's, Wendy's, DuraSoft and Entenmann's doughnuts. She was also featured in ads for Campbell Soup, a sponsor of U.S. Figure Skating at the time. In 2010, Yamaguchi was engaged by P&G to help kick off its "Thanks Mom" program in connection with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She also collaborated with OPI and General Electric in 2011 In 2018, Yamaguchi worked with the Milk Life Campaign that aims to explain the significance of milk in a well-balanced, nutritious diet. As part of the campaign, Yamaguchi recreated her "Got Milk?" ad from the 1990s and was photographed by Annie Leibowitz.

Mattel unveiled a new Barbie doll based on Yamaguchi in April 2024. The Yamaguchi Barbie doll is dressed in a detailed replication of Yamaguchi's gold and black costume from the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville. Yamaguchi has been represented by IMG since 1992.

Television Yamaguchi made a public service video with the California Raisins in 1993 called "Hip to be Fit: Starring Kristi Yamaguchi and The California Raisins." She has appeared as herself on shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, Fresh Off the Boat, Hell's Kitchen and Freedom: A History of US as well as in films like D2: The Mighty Ducks, Frosted Pink, and the Disney Channel original movie Go Figure. In 2006, Yamaguchi was the host of WE tv series Skating's Next Star, created and produced by Major League Figure Skating. Yamaguchi was a local commentator on figure skating for San Jose TV station KNTV (NBC 11) during the 2006 Winter Olympics. In 2010, Yamaguchi worked as a daily NBC Olympics skating broadcast analyst on NBC's Universal Sports Network. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Yamaguchi was also a special correspondent for the Today Show.

She performed in numerous television skating specials, including the Disney special Aladdin on Ice, in which she played Princess Jasmine, and in 2016 she hosted the "Colgate Skating Series" on ABC, a show featuring skaters such as Nancy Kerrigan, Paul Wylie, and Todd Eldridge, who performed with their families. In 2023, Yamaguchi made an appearance in Carolyn Taylor's documentary comedy series I Have Nothing that follows Taylor's comical quest to choreograph a pairs skating routine set to Whitney Houston's 1993 hit song "I Have Nothing."

On May 20, 2008, Yamaguchi became the champion of the sixth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, where she was paired with Mark Ballas. Yamaguchi became the first female winner since Kelly Monaco in season 1. Yamaguchi made a special appearance in the finale of the 16th season where she danced alongside Dorothy Hamill, and in November 2017, she returned to the 25th season in week eight to participate in a jazz trio with Lindsey Stirling and Mark Ballas. +Kristi Yamaguchi – Dancing with the Stars (season 6) Week Dance Music Judges' scores Total score Result 1 Foxtrot "The More I See You" — Michael Bublé 9 9 9 27 Safe 2 Mambo "Hey Baby" — No Doubt, featuring Bounty Killer 9 9 9 27 Safe 3 Tango "Rio" — Duran Duran 9 9 9 27 Safe 4 Paso doble "Blue Monday" — New Order 10 9 10 29 Safe 5 Rumba "Say" — John Mayer 9 10 10 29 Safe 6 Jive "Rip it Up" — Little Richard 10 10 10 30 Safe Group Two-step "Cotton-Eyed Joe" — The Nashville Riders No scores received 7 Viennese waltz "I'm with You" — Avril Lavigne 9 8 9 26 Safe Cha-cha-cha "Don't Stop the Music" — Rihanna 10 8 10 28 8 Quickstep "Billy a Dick" — Klaus Hallen 9 10 10 29 Safe Samba "Volare" — Gipsy Kings 8 9 9 26 9 Tango "Midnight Tango" — Arthur Murray Orchestra 10 9 10 29 Safe Jive "Nutbush City Limits" — Tina Turner 9 9 10 28 10 Cha-cha-cha "Dancing on the Ceiling" — Lionel Richie 10 10 10 30 Safe Freestyle "Workin' Day and Night" — Michael Jackson 10 10 10 30 10 Jive "Rip it Up" — Little Richard 10 10 10 30 Winner

Books and magazines Yamaguchi authored five books. She released Figure Skating for Dummies in 1997 followed by Always Dream, Pure Gold in 1998. In 2011, she published her award-winning children's book, Dream Big, Little Pig, which was No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list and received the Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award. A portion of the proceeds went to the Always Dream Foundation to support early childhood literacy programs. A sequel, It's a Big World Little Pig, was published March 6, 2012.

In February 2009, Kristi walked the runway with nineteen other celebrity women at the Heart Truth fashion show that took place during New York Fashion Week to raise awareness about heart disease. The Heart Truth, a national health education program, created and introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002, and a selection of the red designer dresses seen on the runway were later auctioned off.

Philanthropy and supported causes In 1996, Yamaguchi established the Always Dream Foundation for children. The goal of the foundation is to provide funding for after school programs, computers, back-to-school clothes for underprivileged children, and summer camps for kids with disabilities. Commenting in 2009, she explained her inspiration for the project: "I was inspired by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to make a positive difference in children's lives. We've been helping out various children's organizations, which is rewarding. Our latest project is a playground designed so that kids of all abilities can play side by side. That's our focus now." In 2011, Yamaguchi worked with the American Lung Association, promoting their "Faces of Influenza" campaign. Yamaguchi was selected as one of the 2023 CNN Heroes for her work with the Always Dream Foundation.

Accolades and impact Figure skating had long been the domain of white Americans and Europeans. Yamaguchi finished ahead of two Japanese skaters at a competition in 1988 but the medal ceremony was delayed while organizers tried to track down a Japanese flag for Yamaguchi, unaware that she was American. the Great Sports Legends Award as well as the Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award. She is also a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee Olympic Hall of Fame, World Skating Hall of Fame, and the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

Politics

Yamaguchi identifies as a conservative Republican; yet, she stated in 2009 that she appreciated then-president Barack Obama as a "decision-maker", nonetheless criticizing in the same interview the state of the economy under his leadership.

In April 2024, Yamaguchi attended the state dinner for Japan hosted by Democratic president Joe Biden. Yamaguchi backed Biden during the 2020 presidential election.

Personal life

On July 8, 2000, Yamaguchi married Bret Hedican, a professional ice hockey player she met at the 1992 Winter Olympics when he played for Team USA. After their wedding, Yamaguchi and Hedican resided in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Hedican played for the Carolina Hurricanes. They share two daughters: Keara and Emma. Yamaguchi and Hedican separated in 2023 and divorced in 2025.

Programs

Singles