"One Gold Enough for Yamaguchi"

Author: Michelle Kaufman

Source: Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service  p1130K6849.
Date: Nov 30, 1993

Full Text COPYRIGHT Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service 1993

Detroit - No, she doesn't regret her decision.

Everywhere Kristi Yamaguchi turns, someone wants to know if the reigning Olympic champion wishes she had pursued a second gold medal.

The questions had subsided, but recently flared up when it became apparent the 1994 women's field is weaker than usual.

``I don't have any regrets,'' Yamaguchi said. ``I miss seeing my friends, but I never wonder, `What if?' As an amateur, I did everything I set out to do, and more. I can't even imagine training for the Olympics right now.''

Yamaguchi, 22, keeps busy with skating tours and speaking engagements. She was featured in a Vogue fashion spread, promoting Celebrate! Acetate. She flew from Detroit to Chicago Monday afternoon to meet with executives at DuraSoft lenses, another company she endorses.

When she has time, she lounges in her new home in Reno, Nevada.

``Right now, I love living on the road,'' Yamaguchi said. ``I enjoy performing every night in different cities. It's exciting.''

Former world bronze medalist Caryn Kadavy understands.

``I could have reinstated for the '94 Olympics, but I felt like my time as an amateur had passed,'' said Kadavy, who performs for World Cup Champions on Ice. ``The girls coming up, it's their turn now.''

Yamaguchi is looking forward to experiencing the Olympics from the outside looking in. As a guest of Coca-Cola in Lillehammer, Norway, she will do radio reports from a booth at the pin-trading center. The rest of the time, she plans to have fun.

``Everyone tells me it's a lot different being there as an athlete and being there as a spectator, and I can't wait,'' she said.

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