Kristi Yamaguchi (original) (raw)

American figure skater (born 1971)

Kristi Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi in 2016
Born	(1971-07-12) July 12, 1971 (age 53)Fremont, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Alberta (BA)
Occupations	Figure skaterAuthorPhilanthropist
Organizations	Always Dream Foundation
Notable work	Dream Big, Little Pig!
Spouse	Bret Hedican ​(m. 2000)​
Children	2
Height	4 ft 11.5 in (151 cm)[1][2]
Figure skating career
Skating club	St. Moritz ISC
Retired	1992
Medal record Representing the United States Ladies' figure skating Olympic Games 1992 Albertville Ladies' singles World Championships 1991 Munich Ladies' singles 1992 Oakland Ladies' singles World Junior Championships 1988 Brisbane Ladies' singles Pairs' figure skating World Junior Championships 1988 Brisbane Pairs 1987 Kitchener Pairs

Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi (born July 12, 1971) is an American former competitive figure skater, author and philanthropist. A former competitor in women's singles, Yamaguchi is the 1992 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion (1991 and 1992), and the 1992 U.S. champion. In 1992, she became the first Asian American to win a gold medal in a Winter Olympic competition.[3] As a pairs skater with Rudy Galindo, she is the 1988 World Junior champion and a two-time national champion (1989 and 1990).

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.

Yamaguchi was born on July 12, 1971,[4] in Hayward, California,[5][3] to Jim Yamaguchi, a dentist, and Carole (née Doi), a medical secretary. Yamaguchi is Sansei (a third-generation descendant of Japanese emigrants).[6] Her paternal grandparents and maternal great-grandparents emigrated to the United States from Japan, originating from Wakayama Prefecture and Saga Prefecture.[7][8] 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.[9] 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.[10]

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.[11]

Competitive skating career

[edit]

Yamaguchi was born with bi-lateral clubfoot, resulting in serial leg casting for most of the first year of her life followed by corrective shoes and bracing,[12][13][5] and began skating as physical therapy when she was 4 or 5 after seeing Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill in the Ice Follies and Ice Capades.[14]

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 competitions a couple of times a month.[14]

In 1986, Yamaguchi won the junior title at the U.S. championships with Rudy Galindo.[1] Two years later, Yamaguchi won the singles and, with Galindo, the pairs titles at the 1988 World Junior Championships;[15] 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.[_citation needed_]

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 are still more difficult than side by side jumps performed by current top international pairs teams.[_citation needed_] 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.[16]

Yamaguchi on an Azerbaijani postage stamp

1989–90 season: Goodwill Games gold

[edit]

Yamaguchi won her first major international gold medal in figure skating at the 1990 Goodwill Games.[17]

1990–91 season: First world title

[edit]

In 1991, Yamaguchi moved to Edmonton, Alberta, to train with coach Christy Ness. There, she took psychology courses at the University of Alberta.[18] The same year, Yamaguchi placed second to Tonya Harding at the U.S. championships, her third consecutive silver medal at Nationals. The following month in Munich, Germany, Yamaguchi won the 1991 World Championships.[19][17] 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.[20]

1991–92 season: Olympic gold and second world title

[edit]

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.[21][19] 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.[_citation needed_]

Professional skating career

[edit]

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[21] 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.[22][23] By the time she stopped competing as a professional, she had become a four-time professional world champion (1992, 1994, 1996 and 1997).[24] She finished second in 1993 behind Midori Ito and in 1995 behind Yuka Sato.[25]

She toured extensively with Stars On Ice for over a decade.[24] 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.[26] 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.[27]

Public life and popular culture

[edit]

Sponsorships, endorsements and partnerships

[edit]

In the ensuing months and years after she stood atop the podium in Albertville in 1992, Yamaguchi showed up 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 brands, fast food chains and department store chains like Mervyn's, Wendy's, DuraSoft and Entenmann's doughnuts.[26][28][29] She was also featured in ads for Campbell Soup, a sponsor of U.S. Figure Skating at the time.[30] 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.[31] She also collaborated with OPI and General Electric in 2011[27] and appeared in a TV spot for department store retail chain Kohl's in 2012.[32] 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.[33]

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.[34] Yamaguchi has been represented by IMG since 1992.[35]

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,[36] 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.[_citation needed_] 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.[37] 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.[38]

She performed in numerous television skating specials, including the Disney special Aladdin on Ice, in which she played Princess Jasmine,[39] 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.[40] 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."[41]

On May 20, 2008, Yamaguchi became the champion of the sixth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars,[42] where she was paired with Mark Ballas. Yamaguchi became the first female winner since Kelly Monaco in season one. Yamaguchi made a special appearance in the finale of the sixteenth season where she danced alongside Dorothy Hamill, and in November 2017, she returned to Dancing with the Stars' 25th season in week eight[43] to participate in a jazz trio with Lindsey Stirling and Mark Ballas.[44]

Kristi Yamaguchi – Dancing with the Stars (season 6)

1. ^ Individual judges' scores are listed in the following order: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.

Books and magazines

[edit]

Yamaguchi authored five books. She released Figure Skating for Dummies in 1997 followed by Always Dream, Pure Gold in 1998. In 2011, she published her award-winning children's book, Dream Big, Little Pig,[45][46] which was No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list and received the Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award. A portion of the proceeds went to the Always Dream Foundation to support early childhood literacy programs.[47] A sequel, It's a Big World Little Pig,[48] was published March 6, 2012.[45] Cara's Kindness, which was illustrated by PIxar artist John Lee,[45] was released in 2016.

Throughout the years, Yamaguchi has graced the covers of Sports Illustrated, People, and other magazines.[26]

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.[49]

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.[50] 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.[51]

Philanthropy and supported causes

[edit]

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."[52] In 2011, Yamaguchi worked with the American Lung Association, promoting their "Faces of Influenza" campaign.[27]

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 so provided tablets stocked with digital books, as well as internet access through a mobile data plan, to students in need.[53] Yamaguchi was selected as one of the 2023 CNN Heroes for her work with the Always Dream Foundation.[54]

Accolades and impact

[edit]

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.[21] Yamaguchi was the first Asian American to win gold at a Winter Olympic Games,[26] paving the way for Asian American skaters that came after her like two-time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan, two-time Olympic champion Nathan Chen, Olympic gold medalist Karen Chen, and World medalist Alysa Liu.[21] 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.[21]

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,[55] the Great Sports Legends Award as well as the Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award.[56] 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.[57][58]

In 2012, Yamaguchi appeared in a campaign advertisement for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.[59] She endorsed the politician in both of his presidential bids, donating the legal maximum of 2,300toRomney′s2008presidentialcampaign,and2,300 to Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, and 2,300toRomney′s2008presidentialcampaign,and2,500 to his 2012 presidential campaign.[60] 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.[61][62]

In April 2024, Yamaguchi attended the state dinner for Japan hosted by Democratic president Joe Biden. Yamaguchi backed Biden during the 2020 presidential election.[63]

On July 8, 2000, she 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 NHL team and won the Stanley Cup in 2006. He also played for one year with the Anaheim Ducks. They now live in Alamo[64] in northern California with their two daughters.[65] They also have a summer home on Gull Lake in northern Minnesota.[66][67]

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

Competition and exhibition programs by season

Season	Short program	Free skate program	Exhibition program
1987–88	Malagueña Composed by Ernesto Lecuona	Madam Butterfly Composed by Giacomo Puccini	—
1988–89	A Chorus Line Composed by Marvin Hamlisch	Jacques Offenbach Medley La Vie parisienne (operetta) The Tales of Hoffmann Orpheus in the Underworld Composed by Jacques Offenbach	One Moment in Time Composed by Albert Hammond Performed by Whitney Houston
1989–90	A Chorus Line	Swan Lake Composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky	—
1990–91	La Bamba (film) Composed by Miles Goodman	Samson and Delilah (opera) Composed by Camille Saint-Saëns	O mio babbino caro Composed by Giacomo Puccini Performed by Kiri Te Kanawa
The Yankee Doodle Boy Performed by George M. Cohan
1991–92	The Blue Danube Composed by Johann Strauss II Choreo. by Sandra Bezic	Malagueña Choreo. by Sandra Bezic	Milord Performed by Édith Piaf
The Yankee Doodle Boy

Show programs as a professional skater by year

(With Rudy Galindo)

• Program details mentioned at first occurrence

Competition programs by season

Competitive highlights

[edit]

Yamaguchi's figure skates at the Museum of American History

• GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series

Professional career

[edit]

Pair skating with Rudy Galindo

[edit]

• GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series

• J – junior level

• Yamaguchi, Kristi (December 31, 1997). Figure Skating for Dummies. Foster City, CA: IDG Books. ISBN 0-7645-5084-5. 346 p.

• ----- (April 28, 1998). Always Dream. Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0878339969

• ----- (March 1, 2011). Dream Big Little Pig, Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. ISBN 978-0-545-44969-4. 32 p.

• ----- (March 1, 2012). It's a Big World, Little Pig!. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. ISBN 978-1402266447. 32 p.

• ----- (October 4, 2016). Cara's Kindness. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. ISBN 978-1492616863. 32 p.

1. ^ a b "Kristi Yamaguchi". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
2. ^ Creef, Elena Tajima (2004). Imaging Japanese America: The Visual Construction of Citizenship, Nation, and the Body. USA: New York University Press. pp. 159–160. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
3. ^ a b "Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers | Kristi Yamaguchi | Smithsonian's National Museum of American History |". amhistory.si.edu. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
4. ^ "Kristi Yamaguchi". olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
5. ^ a b "Kristi Yamaguchi". Biography. A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
6. ^ Nomura, Gail M. (1998). "Japanese American Women," in The Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History (Mankiller, Barbara Smith, ed.), pp. 288–290., p. 288, at Google Books.
7. ^ Demak, Richard, ed. (March 23, 1992). "Scorecard : Sports Illustrated vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
8. ^ "Kristi Yamaguchi | Faces of America". PBS. January 4, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
9. ^ Komai, Chris (May 1, 2015). "Family Members Connect Secretary Mineta, Kristi Yamaguchi To Smithsonian's Congressional Gold Medal Digital Exhibition Broader Military Story" (PDF) (Press release). Torrance, California: National Veterans Network. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
10. ^ "Faces of America: Kristi Yamaguchi". PBS, Faces of America series, with Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 2010.
11. ^ Crooks, Peter (May 2010). "Kristi & Company: Olympic champ Kristi Yamaguchi juggles celebrity and philanthropy with her favorite role: being a mom". Diablo Magazine. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
12. ^ "Kristi Yamaguchi | U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame". July 21, 2019.
13. ^ Riss, Suzanne (February 23, 2010). "'92 Olympian Yamaguchi balances road, family". CNN. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
14. ^ a b Riss, Suzanne (February 23, 2010). "'92 Olympian Yamaguchi balances road, family". CNN. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
15. ^ Tribune, Chicago Tribune | Chicago (February 9, 1996). "A PAIR BY ANY OTHER NAME". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
16. ^ "PLUS: FIGURE SKATING -- U.S. PRO CHAMPIONSHIPS; Petrenko and Yamaguchi Win". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 20, 1997. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
17. ^ a b Ap (March 30, 1992). "FIGURE SKATING; Yamaguchi Caps Her Year With World Title". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
18. ^ "Off-ice advice: Kristi Yamaguchi relies financially on family, friends". Market Watch. November 12, 2001. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
19. ^ a b "YAMAGUCHI AND ITO: THEY'RE WORLDS APART-EXCEPT ON THE ICE". Chicago Tribune. February 7, 1992. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
20. ^ "Russian troika sweep as US earn third Olympic spot at figure skating worlds". The Guardian. March 27, 2021. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
21. ^ a b c d e Hersh, Phil (August 30, 1992). "Urbanski, Marval Melt Ice, Reunite". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022.
22. ^ "Kristi Yamaguchi won gold 30 years ago. American figure skating would never look the same". Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022.
23. ^ "World Professional Figure Skating Championships – Landover, MD". Golden Skate. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
24. ^ a b "Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers | Kristi Yamaguchi | Smithsonian's National Museum of American History |". amhistory.si.edu. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
25. ^ "World Professional Figure Skating Championships – Landover, MD". Golden Skate. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
26. ^ a b c d Ritoper, Stefanie (July 15, 2022). "Kristi Yamaguchi Is Remembered as the Perfect Olympics Hero. It Wasn't Always That Way". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
27. ^ a b c "Kristi Yamaguchi Feature on Asian Fusion Girl". Asian Fusion. December 31, 2011. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
28. ^ "GOLD ON ICE OLYMPIC STAR KRISTI YAMAGUCHI LEARNING NEW MOVES FOR PRO ROLE". The Morning Call. January 31, 1993. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
29. ^ "OLYMPIC DREAM\ WRESTED FRM THE CLUTCHES OF A MARKETING NIGHTMARE, SILVER TURNS TO GOLD". Greensboro News and Record. May 25, 1994. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
30. ^ "Olympic Skating Medalist Has Yet to Land Big Endorsement Contracts". AP NEWS. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
31. ^ "'Thanks Mom' Campaign Featured at US Family Home in Vancouver". VOA. February 19, 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
32. ^ Kohl's TV Commercial For Kohl's Featuring Kristi Yamaguchi, retrieved April 13, 2023
33. ^ "Snapshot New York: Looking back at more than 4 decades of the iconic "I Love NY" ad campaign". www.cbsnews.com. February 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
34. ^ Tang, Terry (April 24, 2024). "Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi is 'tickled pink' to inspire a Barbie doll". AP. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
35. ^ Mulligan, Thomas S. (March 17, 1992). "Yamaguchi's Endorsement Deals Prove Good as Gold : Marketing: The Olympic skater's business managers find no evidence that her Japanese heritage makes advertisers balk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
36. ^ Reports, Rafu (November 9, 2019). "'Fresh' Farewell: ABC's Groundbreaking Comedy 'Fresh Off the Boat' to End". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
37. ^ "Jan. 25, 2006: Bay Area Gold Medalist Kristi Yamaguchi Joins NBC11's Olympic Broadcast Team". Nbc11.com. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
38. ^ Interview with Kristi
39. ^ "Disney's Aladdin on Ice". prod-www.tcm.com. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
40. ^ "24 years after Olympic gold, Kristi Yamaguchi focuses on families and service". NBC News. November 25, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
41. ^ a b Dowling, Amber (September 22, 2023). "How Carolyn Taylor's Teen Dreams of Olympic Skating — and Katarina Witt — Resulted in New Crave Comedy 'I Have Nothing'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
42. ^ "Kristi Yamaguchi Wins Dancing with the Stars". Pacific Coast News. May 21, 2008.
43. ^ Montgomery, Daniel (November 2, 2017). "'Dancing with the Stars' trio dances will invite back Kelly Monaco, Alfonso Ribeiro, Laurie Hernandez, Corbin Bleu". goldderby.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
44. ^ Brozyna, Emily (November 2, 2017). "'Dancing with the Stars' trio dances will invite back Kelly Monaco, Alfonso Ribeiro, Laurie Hernandez, Corbin Bleu". J-14.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
45. ^ a b c "See Figure Skater Kristi Yamaguchi Now, 30 Years After Winning Olympic Gold". Yahoo Life. February 10, 2022. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
46. ^ Yamaguchi, Kristi (2011). Dream Big, Little Pig. Illustrated by Tim Bowers. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. ISBN 978-1-4022-5275-4. OCLC 662405424.
47. ^ Wengen, Deidre (March 29, 2011). "Figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi turns best-selling children's author". phillyburbs.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
48. ^ Yamaguchi, Kristi (2012). It's a Big World, Little Pig. Illustrated by Tim Bowers. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. ISBN 978-1-4022-6644-7. OCLC 747529286.
49. ^ "Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi launches fashion line". TODAY.com. September 13, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
50. ^ Critchell (February 13, 2009). "Fashion Week kicks off with celeb-studded runway". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
51. ^ Hainey, Ehmonie (February 14, 2009). "The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection at New York Fashion Week". What's Haute. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
52. ^ "Ability Magazine: Kristi Yamaguchi Interview" (2009)". Archived from the original on February 1, 2012.
53. ^ "Kristi Yamaguchi improves literacy for Pacific Islander, Latino kids amid pandemic". NBC News. October 24, 2020. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
54. ^ Reports, Rafu (December 7, 2023). "Kristi Yamaguchi Featured in 'CNN Heroes: Sharing the Spotlight'". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
55. ^ "Gold Medal Figure Skater Kristi Yamaguchi Selected as 2019 Heisman Humanitarian". www.rafu.com. October 29, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
56. ^ "USOC Announces Kristi Yamaguchi as Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award Winner". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018.
57. ^ Michoces, Gary (December 8, 2008). "Yamaguchi tops Olympic Hall class". USA Today – via Gale Academic OneFile.
58. ^ Lieser, Ethan (January 20, 2002). "Golden Girl: Ten years after winning the Medal, Kristi Yamaguchi is still celebrating". Asianweek. p. 18 – via Proquest Ethnic Newswatch.
59. ^ Romney Olympic Ad, August 5, 2012, retrieved July 8, 2022
60. ^ Beckel, Michael (July 30, 2012). "Former Olympians praise Romney in ad — and pony up contributions". Center for Public Integrity. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
61. ^ "Famous conservatives in professional sports - washingtontimes.com". Washington Times. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
62. ^ "What I Like... With Gold Medalist & Dancer Kristi Yamaguchi". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. March 26, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
63. ^ Kurtz, Judy (April 11, 2024). "White House state dinner for Japan serves up stars, springtime decor and little political talk". The Hill. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
64. ^ Golden Girl Archived November 22, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
65. ^ Rutherford, Lynn (April 15, 2012). "Kristi Yamaguchi Looks at The Sport". IFS Magazine. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012.
66. ^ "Celebrity Cabins". Minnesota Monthly. June 19, 2012.
67. ^ Linn, Carol. "KRISTI YAMAGUCHI". Cambria.
68. ^ a b c d e f "World Professional Figure Skating Championships – Landover, MD". goldenskate.com. March 17, 2023. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023.
69. ^ a b c d e "Ice Wars – World Ice Figure Skating Challenge". goldenskate.com. April 16, 2023. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023.
70. ^ Romano, Ray; Rosenthal, Phil; Caltabiano, Tom; Havrilesky, Heather (2004). Everybody Loves Raymond: Our Family Album. Pocket Books. p. 148. ISBN 9780743496476. OCLC 475680761.

• Nomura, Gail M. (1998). "Japanese American Women," in The Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History (Mankiller, Barbara Smith, ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 9780618001828; OCLC 43338598
• Schwindt, Troy, "Yamaguchi Honored in Thursday Night's U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Ceremony" Archived July 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, US Figure Skating Association, December 8, 2005