Kristi Yamaguchi was a hero to millions as an Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist and the first Asian-American to win gold at a Winter Olympics. Here she discusses such topics as how she took up her sport, overcoming struggles just before her first world championship competition to regain the joy skating brought her, peak Olympic moments, feelings about the pride and support that Japanese Americans shared with her post-Olympics.
Highlights include:
1:08 How Kristi started skating and chose it over ballet and the other sports she tried (“I played basketball until I was 12, and I was never good.”)
5:14 Advice for girls participating in sports such as skating and gymnastics that are notoriously hard on young girls’ bodies (“Listen to your body.”)
9:35 On the development of her Olympic dreams
11:53 When the joy of skating went away and how Kristi recovered it with the help of fellow skater Kurt Browning
18:15 How sports contribute to children’s mental health and resiliency
21:30 The power of introspection, introversion, and internalization
22:41 Kristi recalls her peak Olympic moments
24:47 Retrospectively recognizing the meaning and significance of representation as the first Asian-American to win a Winter Olympics gold medal (“My mom was born in an internment camp.”)
27:41 Reflections on the Kristi Yamaguchi Always Dream non-profit for children’s literacy