Kristi Yamaguchi

Kristi Yamaguchi persevered despite a clubfoot condition to become the first Asian American woman to win Olympic gold in figure skating.

Ice Skater

July 12, 1971

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Kristi Yamaguchi, an American figure skater, rose to prominence in the 1990s. She became the first female Olympic figure skating champion from the United States in over a decade when she won the 1992 Winter Olympics. In addition to her Olympic victory, Yamaguchi secured two US National Figure Skating Championships titles and one World Figure Skating Championship. From 1992 to 2002, she participated in the Stars on Ice tour and was inducted into both the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1998 and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. As a philanthropist, Yamaguchi founded the Always Dream Foundation in 1996 and served as the spokesperson for First 5 California from 2008. Remarkably, she overcame a bilateral clubfoot condition to become the first Asian American woman to win Olympic gold in figure skating.