Kristi Yamaguchi

After Yamaguchi retired from competition in 1992, she performed in shows and participated in the professional competition circuit. She won the World Professional Figure Skating Championships four times in her career (1992, 1994, 1996 and 1997). In 2005, Yamaguchi was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, and in 2008, she became the celebrity champion in the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars. Yamaguchi is an author and has published five books. Dream Big, Little Pig!, for which she received the Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award, appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.

• Name — Kristi Yamaguchi • Born — 12 July 1971 • Birthplace — Fremont, California, U.S. • Occupation — * Figure skater • author • philanthropist • Notable Works — Dream Big, Little Pig! • Organizations — Always Dream • Children — 2

Yamaguchi was born on July 12, 1971, in Hayward, California, to Jim Yamaguchi, a dentist, and Carole (née Doi), a medical secretary. Yamaguchi is Sansei (a third-generation descendant of Japanese emigrants). Her paternal grandparents and maternal great-grandparents emigrated to the United States from Japan, originating from Wakayama Prefecture and Saga Prefecture. Yamaguchi's grandparents were sent to an internment camp during World War II, where her mother was born. Her maternal grandfather, George A. Doi, was in the U.S. Army and fought in Germany and France during World War II during the time his family was interned at the Heart Mountain and Amache camps. Research done in 2010 by Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. for the PBS series Faces of America showed that Yamaguchi's heritage can be traced back to Wakayama and Saga prefectures in Japan and that her paternal grandfather, Tatsuichi Yamaguchi, emigrated to Hawaii in 1899. Yamaguchi and her siblings, Brett and Lori, grew up in Fremont, California. In order to accommodate her training schedule, Yamaguchi was home-schooled for her first two years of high school, but attended Mission San Jose High School for her junior and senior years, where she graduated.

Yamaguchi was born with bi-lateral clubfoot, resulting in treatment with the Ponseti method during her early years: she wore a series of leg casting for most of the first year of her life, followed by corrective shoes and bracing. She became interested in ice skating at age 4 or 5 after seeing Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill in the Ice Follies and Ice Capades, and doctors encouraged skating as a form of physical therapy. From sixth grade on, Yamaguchi practiced from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. before school and sometimes after school. Her mother would drive her to the rink every morning at 4 a.m. and wait for her to finish. She would also accompany Yamaguchi to several competitions a month.

In 1986, Yamaguchi won the junior title at the U.S. championships with Rudy Galindo. Two years later, Yamaguchi won the singles and, with Galindo, the pairs titles at the 1988 World Junior Championships; Galindo had won the 1987 World Junior Championship in singles. In 1989 Yamaguchi and Galindo won the senior pairs title at the U.S. Championships. They won the title again in 1990. As a pairs team, Yamaguchi and Galindo were unusual in that they were both accomplished singles skaters, which allowed them to consistently perform difficult elements like side by side triple flip jumps, which even twenty years later would still be considered a very difficult pair element. They also jumped and spun in opposite directions, Yamaguchi counter-clockwise, and Galindo clockwise, which gave them an unusual look on the ice. In 1990, Yamaguchi decided to focus solely on singles. Galindo went on to have a successful singles career as well, winning the 1996 U.S. championships and the 1996 World bronze medal.

• Illustration — Yamaguchi on an Azerbaijani postage stamp

Yamaguchi won her first major international gold medal in figure skating at the 1990 Goodwill Games.

In 1991, Yamaguchi moved to Edmonton, Alberta, to train with coach Christy Ness. There, she took psychology courses at the University of Alberta. The same year, Yamaguchi placed second to Tonya Harding at the U.S. championships, her third consecutive silver medal at Nationals, with a free skate that included a fall on a triple Salchow but also six clean triple jumps. The following month in Munich, Germany, Yamaguchi won the 1991 World Championships. That year, the American ladies team, consisting of Yamaguchi, Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, became the only national ladies team to have its members sweep the Worlds podium until the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships, when Anna Shcherbakova, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and Alexandra Trusova swept the podium representing FSR.

In 1992, Yamaguchi won her first U.S. title and gained a spot to the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Joining her on the U.S. team were again Kerrigan and Harding. While Harding and Japan's Midori Ito were consistently landing the difficult triple Axel jump in competition, Yamaguchi instead focused on her artistry and her triple-triple combinations in hopes of becoming a more well-rounded skater. Both Harding and Ito fell on their triple Axels at the Olympics (though Ito successfully landed the jump later on in her long program after missing the first time), allowing Yamaguchi to win the gold, despite errors in her free program, including putting a hand to the ice on a triple loop and a double salchow instead of a planned triple. She later explained her mindset during the long program: "You just do your best and forget the rest." Yamaguchi went on to successfully defend her World title that same year.

Yamaguchi planned to start the 1992-93 competitive season at Prague Skate in Czechoslovakia in November but U.S Figure Skating insisted that all its skaters compete at Skate America, which was due to take place a month earlier in October. Skate America became a source of contention between the federation and Yamaguchi, who was unable to be ready in time due to a busy schedule with commercial appearances and speaking engagements following her wins at the 1992 Winter Olympics and 1992 World Championships. As a result, Yamaguchi decided to turn professional after the 1991–92 competitive season and immediately started competing on the pro competition circuit, starting with the World Professional Figure Skating Championships in December 1992 where she captured her first world pro gold. By the time she stopped competing as a professional, she had become a four-time professional world champion (1992, 1994, 1996 and 1997). She finished second in 1993 behind Midori Ito and in 1995 behind Yuka Sato. She toured extensively with Stars On Ice for over a decade. Originally, Stars On Ice was a 30-city tour, but when Yamaguchi joined, it quickly became a 60-city tour due to her ability to captivate an audience. She collaborated with a variety of choreographers to create diverse programs. "A lot of us on the Stars on Ice tour took pride in trying to stay innovative and bring something new to the ice every year," Yamaguchi noted.

After her 1992 Olympics victory, Yamaguchi appeared in many advertisements and endorsement deals. She appeared on cereal boxes like Kellogg's Special K, on Hallmark Christmas ornaments, in ads for Got Milk? and Hoechst Celanese, as well as commercials for chains like Mervyn's, Wendy's, DuraSoft and Entenmann's doughnuts. She was also featured in ads for Campbell Soup, a sponsor of U.S. Figure Skating at the time. In 2010, Yamaguchi was engaged by P&G to help kick off its "Thanks Mom" program in connection with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She also collaborated with OPI and General Electric in 2011 and appeared in a TV spot for department store retail chain Kohl's in 2012. In 2018, Yamaguchi worked with the Milk Life Campaign that aims to explain the significance of milk in a well-balanced, nutritious diet. As part of the campaign, Yamaguchi recreated her "Got Milk?" ad from the 1990s and was photographed by Annie Leibowitz. Mattel unveiled a new Barbie doll based on Yamaguchi in April 2024. The Yamaguchi Barbie doll is dressed in a detailed replication of Yamaguchi's gold and black costume from the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville. Yamaguchi has been represented by IMG since 1992.

Yamaguchi made a public service video with the California Raisins in 1993 called "Hip to be Fit: Starring Kristi Yamaguchi and The California Raisins." She has appeared as herself on shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, Fresh Off the Boat, Hell's Kitchen and Freedom: A History of US as well as in films like D2: The Mighty Ducks, Frosted Pink, and the Disney Channel original movie Go Figure. In 2006, Yamaguchi was the host of WE tv series Skating's Next Star, created and produced by Major League Figure Skating. Yamaguchi was a local commentator on figure skating for San Jose TV station KNTV (NBC 11) during the 2006 Winter Olympics. In 2010, Yamaguchi worked as a daily NBC Olympics skating broadcast analyst on NBC's Universal Sports Network. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Yamaguchi was also a special correspondent for the Today Show. She performed in numerous television skating specials, including the Disney special Aladdin on Ice, in which she played Princess Jasmine, and in 2016 she hosted the "Colgate Skating Series" on ABC, a show featuring skaters such as Nancy Kerrigan, Paul Wylie, and Todd Eldridge, who performed with their families. In 2023, Yamaguchi made an appearance in Carolyn Taylor's documentary comedy series I Have Nothing that follows Taylor's comical quest to choreograph a pairs skating routine set to Whitney Houston's 1993 hit song "I Have Nothing." On May 20, 2008, Yamaguchi became the champion of the sixth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, where she was paired with Mark Ballas. Yamaguchi became the first female winner since Kelly Monaco in season 1. Yamaguchi made a special appearance in the finale of the 16th season where she danced alongside Dorothy Hamill, and in November 2017, she returned to the 25th season in week eight to participate in a jazz trio with Lindsey Stirling and Mark Ballas. Kristi Yamaguchi – Dancing with the Stars (season 6) • Week — Dance — Music — Judges' scores — Total score — Result • 1 — Foxtrot — "The More I See You" — Michael Bublé — 9 — 9 — 9 — 27 — Safe • 2 — Mambo — "Hey Baby" — No Doubt, featuring Bounty Killer — 9 — 9 — 9 — 27 — Safe • 3 — Tango — "Rio" — Duran Duran — 9 — 9 — 9 — 27 — Safe • 4 — Paso doble — "Blue Monday" — New Order — 10 — 9 — 10 — 29 — Safe • 5 — Rumba — "Say" — John Mayer — 9 — 10 — 10 — 29 — Safe • 6 — Jive — "Rip it Up" — Little Richard — 10 — 10 — 10 — 30 — Safe • Group Two-step — "Cotton-Eyed Joe" — The Nashville Riders — No scores received • 7 — Viennese waltz — "I'm with You" — Avril Lavigne — 9 — 8 — 9 — 26 — Safe • Cha-cha-cha — "Don't Stop the Music" — Rihanna — 10 — 8 — 10 — 28 • 8 — Quickstep — "Billy a Dick" — Klaus Hallen — 9 — 10 — 10 — 29 — Safe • Samba — "Volare" — Gipsy Kings — 8 — 9 — 9 — 26 • 9 — Tango — "Midnight Tango" — Arthur Murray Orchestra — 10 — 9 — 10 — 29 — Safe • Jive — "Nutbush City Limits" — Tina Turner — 9 — 9 — 10 — 28 • 10 (Night 1) — Cha-cha-cha — "Dancing on the Ceiling" — Lionel Richie — 10 — 10 — 10 — 30 — Safe • Freestyle — "Workin' Day and Night" — Michael Jackson — 10 — 10 — 10 — 30 • 10 (Night 2) — Jive — "Rip it Up" — Little Richard — 10 — 10 — 10 — 30 — Winner • Illustration — Kristi Yamaguchi and her book "Dream Big Little Pig" at the 2011 White House Easter Egg Roll

• Illustration — Yamaguchi at The Heart Truth fashion show in 2009 In early 2012, Yamaguchi created a woman's active wear line focused on function, comfort, and style to empower women to look good and feel good. The lifestyle brand is called Tsu.ya by Kristi Yamaguchi. "[Tsu.ya] is actually my middle name, and it was my grand-mother's name [and] a nod to my Japanese heritage. We put the period in there because we thought it would break it up and make it easier to pronounce," remarked Yamaguchi. Tsu.ya donates a portion of its proceeds to support early childhood literacy through Yamaguchi's Always Dream Foundation. In February 2009, Kristi walked the runway with nineteen other celebrity women at the Heart Truth fashion show that took place during New York Fashion Week to raise awareness about heart disease. The Heart Truth, a national health education program, created and introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002, and a selection of the red designer dresses seen on the runway were later auctioned off.

In 1996, Yamaguchi established the Always Dream Foundation for children. The goal of the foundation is to provide funding for after school programs, computers, back-to-school clothes for underprivileged children, and summer camps for kids with disabilities. Commenting in 2009, she explained her inspiration for the project: "I was inspired by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to make a positive difference in children's lives. We've been helping out various children's organizations, which is rewarding. Our latest project is a playground designed so that kids of all abilities can play side by side. That's our focus now." In 2011, Yamaguchi worked with the American Lung Association, promoting their "Faces of Influenza" campaign. Also in 2011, Kristi and the Always Dream Foundation Board decided to narrow the foundation's focus to early childhood literacy. This change was inspired by Kristi's role as a mother of two young daughters, as well as her new venture as a children's book author. In 2012, the foundation forged a partnership with Raising A Reader and the digital children's library myON, to create the Always Reading program, which integrated traditional books with e-books and 21st century technology in both the classroom and home environment. Between 2012 and 2018, the Always Reading program served more than 10,000 students and families at 24 Title 1 schools in California, Hawaiʻi, and Arizona. In 2018, after two years of assessment and evaluation, the Always Dream Foundation worked with an expert team of education advisors to redesign the Always Reading program with the goal of targeting the home environment and supporting family engagement in reading. The Always Reading pilot program was implemented in two classrooms in Oakland, CA. In 2020, Always Dream dropped the name "Foundation" to reflect their work as a direct service nonprofit and officially became "Kristi Yamaguchi's Always Dream." During the COVID-19 pandemic, the non-profit supplied tablets stocked with digital books, as well as internet access through a mobile data plan, to students in need. Yamaguchi was selected as one of the 2023 CNN Heroes for her work with the Always Dream Foundation.

Figure skating had long been the domain of white Americans and Europeans. Yamaguchi finished ahead of two Japanese skaters at a competition in 1988 but the medal ceremony was delayed while organizers tried to track down a Japanese flag for Yamaguchi, unaware that she was American. Yamaguchi was the first Asian American to win gold at a Winter Olympic Games, paving the way for Asian American skaters that came after her like two-time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan, 2022 Olympic champion and Team gold medalist Nathan Chen, Olympic Team gold medalist Karen Chen, and 2026 Olympic champion Alysa Liu. Five of the sixteen athletes on the U.S. team at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing were of Asian descent. Four years earlier at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, there were seven with ice dance siblings Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani. Yamaguchi has received numerous awards in recognition of her achievements and impact. She was the recipient of the Inspiration Award at the 2008 Asian Excellence Awards. Two days after her Dancing with the Stars champion crowning, she received the 2008 Sonja Henie Award from the Professional Skaters Association. Among her other awards are the Thurman Munson Award, Women's Sports Foundation Flo Hyman Award, the Heisman Humanitarian Award, the Great Sports Legends Award as well as the Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award. She is also a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee Olympic Hall of Fame, World Skating Hall of Fame, and the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

Yamaguchi identifies as a conservative Republican; yet, she stated in 2009 that she appreciated then-president Barack Obama as a "decision-maker", nonetheless criticizing in the same interview the state of the economy under his leadership. In April 2024, Yamaguchi attended the state dinner for Japan hosted by Democratic president Joe Biden. Yamaguchi backed Biden during the 2020 presidential election.

On July 8, 2000, Yamaguchi married Bret Hedican, a professional ice hockey player she met at the 1992 Winter Olympics when he played for Team USA. After their wedding, Yamaguchi and Hedican resided in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Hedican played for the Carolina Hurricanes. They share two daughters: Keara and Emma. Yamaguchi and Hedican separated in 2023 and divorced in 2025.

• Program details mentioned at first occurrence • Olympic seasons highlighted in blue • Programs performed at the Winter Olympics highlighted in bold

(With Rudy Galindo) • Program details mentioned at first occurrence

• Illustration — Yamaguchi's figure skates at the Museum of American History

• GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series

• GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series • J – junior level

Bong Joon-ho's performances • Year — Title — Role — Notes — Reference(s) • 1994 — You Must Remember This — Herself / Madame X • 1994 — D2: The Mighty Ducks — Herself (Cameo) • 1995 — Aladdin on Ice — Jasmine • 1997 — Everybody Loves Raymond — Herself (Cameo) — Episode: The Dog • 1998 — The Great Skate Debate II — Skater • 2001 — On Edge — Regional Judge #4 • 2003 — Freedom: A History of Us — Haruko Obata — Episode: Depression and War • 2005 — Go Figure — Herself (Cameo) • 2012 — Pandora Unforgettable Holiday Moments on Ice — Herself – Host • 2013 — Hell's Kitchen — Herself (Dining room guest) — Episode: 17 Chefs Compete • 2018 — Fresh Off the Boat — Herself / First Lady Kristi Yamaguchi-Huang — Episode: King in the North • 2023 — I Have Nothing — Herself — Episode 1: Package For The Bird

Kristi Yamaguchi is recorded as having received California Hall of Fame. Recorded at birth as Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi. Identity and origins. The authorities additionally record the heading Kristi Hedican. Her recorded language was English. She married Bret Hedican.