** Happy Birthday, Kristi Yamaguchi **

I'd like to send warm birthday wishes to Kristi Yamaguchi, who turns 40 this month. Kristi has been a class act from the get-go -- a strong technical skater with lovely artistry, and a warm personality. She was such a great role model for young women skaters. I was so happy for Yamaguchi when she won the Olympic gold medal in 1992, and she has carried the title of "Olympic Champion" with style and grace for the past two decades. :thumbsup:

During the last two holiday seasons, Public Television broadcast the San Francisco Ballet's
"Nutcracker", with Kristi serving as the hostess. Again, she did a beautiful job presenting the timeless Christmas season classic, with many references to her home area.

Kristi turns 40, not "40 40", as I typed above. Oh, well

Goody! A thread for Kristi. Happy birthday, Kristi, and many more! You're right in ever aspect about her, Silverpond: technical excellence, artistic expressiveness, and a cordial yet humble personality that comes across both on and off the ice.

Kristi was my first favorite skater! I absolutely loved and still love her.

Nice visit down memory lane: Kristi's Madam Butterfly...absolutely beautiful.

Happy Birthday Kristi!!

It's too bad Kristi didn't stick around for another couple years she would have been a two time Olympic champion and a legend. She would have dominated in Lillehammer seeing who the competition was.

Jammers said:

It's too bad Kristi didn't stick around for another couple years she would have been a two time Olympic champion and a legend. She would have dominated in Lillehammer seeing who the competition was.

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I agree with you, Jammers. Had Kristi maintained her eligibile status through the 1994 season, I believe she would have won the 1993 and 1994 Worlds, as well as successfully defended her Olympic gold medal. Yamaguchi's competition would have been Oksana Baiul, who although young, fresh, and charming, most likely would not have been able to win. Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan would most likely not have been able to win, either.

And, had Kristi competed in the 1993 Worlds (and won, which I think she would have done), the US would have qualified to send 3 women skaters to Lillihammer, which would have been interesting, to say the least. Quite possibly the same trio that represented the US at Albertville would have represented the US at Lillihammer - Yamaguchi, Kerringan, and Harding.

I recall reading an article on Kristi that was published prior to the 1992 Olympics, describing her as a "financially strapped 20-year-old". Perhaps she and her family simply did not have the means to finance another two years of competitive skating. Then again, she had won the major titles - US, Worlds, and Olympics - and she was ready to move on to a very successful pro skating career.

Happy Belated Birthday to Kristi. She is a class act.