Profile of a Champion

Photo credit: Mervyn's California View Magazine

Kristi is...

the 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist in Ladies Figure Skating
U.S. National Champion
Two-time U.S. National Champion in Pairs Skating (with Rudy Galindo)
Two-time World Champion
Two-time U.S. Professional Champion
Three-time Gold Championship Winner
Four-time World Professional Champion
Inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
Inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Association Hall of Fame

a Legend.

Name: Kristi Tsuya Yamaguchi

Birthdate: July 12, 1971

Horoscope sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Hayward, California

Home: Fremont, California and Reno, Nevada

Height/Weight: 5'1/93 lbs.

Family: Jim (father - a dentist), Carole (mother - a medical secretary), Lori (older sister -an events coordinator in the Bay Area) and Brett (younger brother - works for the Golden State Warriors)

Marital Status: engaged to Bret Hedican, a professional hockey player for the Florida Panthers

Pets: Piston, the family toy fox terrier and Skittles, a cat.

Coach: Christy Kjarsgaard-Ness

Choreographers: Sandra Bezic, Micheal Seibert, Kevin Cottam

Costumes Designed by: Jeff Billings and Laura Sheehan

Agent: Kevin Albrecht represented by IMG

Fan Mail Address:
                                Kristi Yamaguchi
                            c/o Kevin Albrecht (IMG)
                             1 St. Clair Avenue East
                                  Suite #700
                             Toronto, ON M4T 2V7
                                   Canada

Official Website: Kristi.yahoo.com Find out more about the Always Dream Foundation.

Former Pairs Partner: Rudy Galindo

Pairs Coaches: the late Jim Hulick, and John Nicks.

Charities: Always Dream Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Woman's Sports Foundation

Hobbies: tennis, golf, shopping, inline skating, dancing and reading. Also enjoys watching hockey and football (the San Jose Sharks and the 49ers)

Favorites:
Food: Sushi, italian food and cookies & cream ice-cream
Movies: "Sound of Music" and "Wizard of Oz"
Music: Toni Braxton, Janet Jackson, Boyz II Men, Hootie and the Blowfish
TV shows: Friends and ER
Actors: Denzel Washington, Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Meg Ryan
Sports Heroes: Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming, Micheal Jordan, Steve Young

Interesting Facts:

• Kristi is a fourth generation American of Japanese descent.
• Did you know that before Kristi started skating...she was born with clubfeet. She had to wear casts for two years and corrective shoes as a child.
• At the age of nine, Kristi skated in her first official competition (as a pre-juvenile) and finished fifth. (Yeah Kristi!)
• She was just 11 years of age when she decided to compete in pairs with Rudy Galindo.
• When Rudy and Kristi first started skating - they were both tiny! Rudy was 4'6 tall and 69 pounds, and Kristi was 4'2 and weighed only 50 pounds.
• Kristi mastered 5 of 6 triple jumps (Lutz, Toe-Loop, Loop, Salchow and Flip) by the time  she was 14!
• Her skating idol is Dorothy Hamill. She used to carry a Dorothy doll to practice with her every day when she was 5 years old. Hamill would later visit Kristi just before the the 1992 Olympic finals to wish her good luck.
• One of Kristi's pet peeves is having a cold ice rink to practice in!
• Kristi is righthanded...therefore she spins and jumps to the right
• In preparation for the 1992 Olympic games, Kristi trained 3 hours a day on ice and 1 hour off ice, with weights and stretching exercises.
• The most exciting moment for Kristi at the Albertville Games was just before she went up to the podium to accept her gold medal. She and bronze-medalist Nancy Kerrigan were both  elated. They were backstage and they said to each other "Oh my gosh, can you believe this  is happening? This is the Olympics!" (Seventeen '92)
• Kristi is twice immortalized in bronze: Sculpture artists Megan and Douglas Taylor-Gebler created two larger than life bronze sculptures. The first one entitled "Juliet" is made out of 4,000 pounds of bronze and granite, and stands 8 feet tall. It was commissioned by the Incline Ice Foundation as a fundraiser for it's new ice arena. And "Malaguena Gold", the second sculpture was created to forever commemorate Kristi's gold medal winning performance.

Where you can view Kristi Yamaguchi "memorablia":

• At the MCI National Sports Gallery in Washington D.C., you can check out Kristi's autographed 1993 World Champion figure skates.
• At the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fall in Colorodo Springs, CO you can view Kristi's 1992 Olympic gold medal and her famous black and gold "Malaguena" costume.
• At the Belk Sculpture Garden located in front of the United States Olympic Committee visitor's center (at the U.S. Olympic Complex) you can see the bronze sculpture "Juliet".

Read more about Kristi:

All-Star Profile
Asian Pacific American Profile
HealthSouth SMC
Lifetime | Women's Sports Foundation
Pro Skating Mining.Co
 Stars On Ice Profile
U.S.O.C.

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