Yamaguchi, Kristi (1971-…), is an American figure skating champion. In 1992, Yamaguchi won the gold medal in the women’s singles figure skating competition of the Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France. That year, Yamaguchi also won the World Figure Skating Championship in women’s singles for the second straight year and the United States Championship after receiving a silver medal the previous year.
Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi was born on July 12, 1971, in Hayward, California, and grew up in Fremont. She won her first senior skating title in 1989, taking the United States pairs championship with partner Rudy Galindo. They repeated as pairs champions in 1990. Yamaguchi turned professional in 1992 and toured with the Stars on Ice skating show from 1992 to 2002. She won the World Professional Figure Skating Championship several times during this period. In 2005, Yamaguchi was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
At the opening ceremonies for the 1992 Winter Olympic Games, Yamaguchi met Bret Hedican, a National Hockey League player who was a member of the U.S. Olympic hockey team. They married in 2000.
In 1996, Yamaguchi founded the Always Dream Foundation, which raises money and supports children’s charities in the San Francisco area. Yamaguchi wrote Figure Skating for Dummies (1997). She also wrote an autobiography for young readers, Always Dream (1998), and three children’s books—Dream Big, Little Pig! (2011), It’s a Big World, Little Pig! (2012), and Cara’s Kindness (2016).
