Lipinski, Tara (1982-…), was a champion American figure skater. Lipinski became the youngest figure skater to win a United States championship, a world championship, and an Olympic gold medal. She won the national and world titles in 1997, when the United States Olympic Committee named her the Female Athlete of the Year. She won the Olympic gold medal in 1998. Lipinski gained fame for her powerful triple jumps, in which the body rotates in the air three times.
Tara Kristen Lipinski was born on June 10, 1982, in Philadelphia. She began roller skating at the age of 3 and had won many awards by the age of 9. Lipinski began taking figure skating lessons at the age of 6. In 1994, she won a gold medal at the U.S. Olympic Festival, a national competition.
After winning the Olympic gold medal in 1998, Lipinski turned professional. Her professional career was hindered by a series of hip injuries. Lipinski’s most noteworthy accomplishment as a professional came in 1999 when, at the age of 17, she became the youngest person to win the World Professional Figure Skating title. She toured in ice shows and also acted on television and served as a television commentator for figure skating competitions. Tara Lipinski: Triumph on Ice (1997, revised 1998) is her autobiography. She also wrote Totally Tara: An Olympic Journey (1998).
See also Ice skating (Figure skating).
