Figure Skaters

Yuzuru Hanyu is a Japanese figure skater. Considered one of the greatest male figure skaters of all time, Hanyu became only the second figure skaters ever to receive two successive Olympic gold medals; he achieved this feat in 2014 and 2018. He also won the 2020 Four Continents Championships, becoming the only male singles skater to accomplish a Super Slam.

Alina Zagitova is a Russian figure skater who has won one gold medal each in Olympic Games, World Figure Skating Championships, European Figure Skating Championships, and Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final; she is the only female figure skater from Russia to have achieved this feat. At the 2019 Glamour Russia Awards, Alina Zagitova was named Sportswoman of the Year.

Dorothy Hamill is a retired figure skater whose efforts gave the United States of America an Olympic gold at the 1976 Winter Olympics. Despite suffering from chronic depression for much of her adult life, Dorothy Hamill served as a mentor to Rachael Flatt, who won the gold medal at the 2008 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Known for his innovative footwork sequences, Scott Hamilton is a retired figure skater, credited with imbibing an air of athleticism into men’s figure skating. Remembered for winning four consecutive U.S. championships and four World Championships between 1981 and 1984, topping his feat with a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, he later co-founded Stars on Ice—a touring figure skating show—and authored three books.

Evgenia Medvedeva is a Russian figure skater who has won two silver Olympic medals, two World Championship gold medals, and two European Championship gold medals. At the 2017 World Championships, Medvedeva became the first 16-year-old female skater after Michelle Kwan to win back-to-back world titles. Evgenia Medvedeva is also the first skater to achieve two Grand Slams in a row. 

Yulia Lipnitskaya stunned her fans with the news of her retirement at the tender age of 19. Apparently, she had been struggling with injuries and anorexia. The Russian professional figure skater won an Olympic gold at 15, thus becoming the youngest Russian gold medalist in history.

American figure skater, Tonya Harding, was the 1991 and 1994 US champion but her 1994 title was taken away after a controversy erupted regarding her ex-husband. He was charged with planning an attack on a rival American skater, Nancy Kerrigan. Tonya Harding was banned for life by the US Figure Skating Association after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Former figure skater Debi Thomas is also an Olympic bronze medalist. She began skating at 5 and participated in her first figure-skating contest at 9. A Stanford engineer and a qualified orthopedic surgeon, too, Thomas surprisingly ended up being broke and began living in a trailer in the Appalachian mountains.

Two-time Olympic silver medalist Hungarian-Slovenian-origin Canadian figure skater Elvis Stojko had also been a World Champion thrice. Named after legendary singer Elvis Presley, he began skating at age 4. He also won the Canadian National Championship 7 times. He has also been a commentator and a show skater.

Kaetlyn Osmond is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. She is best known for winning a gold medal and a bronze medal at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Previously, she had won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Kaetlyn Osmond also won a gold medal at the World Championships in 2018. 

Monika Dannemann was a German painter and figure skater whose professional achievements were overshadowed by her relationship with legendary guitar player Jimi Hendrix; she is often referred to as the last girlfriend of Jimi Hendrix. A year before her death, Monika Dannemann published a book titled The Inner World of Jimi Hendrix.   

Lloyd Eisler is a Canadian former pairs skater who won the Olympic bronze medal in 1992 and 1994 along with his partner Isabelle Brasseur. Eisler also won a gold medal, three silver medals, and two bronze medals at the World Championships between 1985 and 1994.

Kurt Browning is a Canadian figure skater, commentator, and choreographer. A four-time World Champion, Browning also won a silver medal at the 1992 World Championships. Kurt Browning was made an inductee of the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1994 and 2006 respectively.