Kristi Yamaguchi makes the grade as part of the "Class of 2006" Olympic Hall of Fame
Figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi has been inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame as part of the "Class of 2006".
Yamaguchi scored Olympic gold in ladies singles at the 1992 Albertville Winter Games. Winner of back-to-back world titles (1991, 1992), the four-time U.S. World Team member was one of the first American women to compete in both pairs and ladies singles. At the 1988 World Junior Championships, she won the ladies' title as well as earning the pairs gold medal with partner Rudy Galindo.
Married to Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Bret Hedican and mother of a 2 year-old girl, this gold medal winning figure skater is also an active humanitarian. She has discovered innovative ways of providing funding for a diverse range of programs to inspire and embrace the hopes and dreams of children and adolescents through her Always Dream Foundation.
Other "Class of 2006" inductees, include sprinters Evelyn Ashford and Bob Hayes, swimmer Rowdy Gaines, gymnast Shannon Miller; Paralympian Diana Golden-Brosnihan; hockey coach Herb Brooks; veteran Jack Shea, the 1984 men's gymnastic team and special contributor Dick Ebersol.
Yamaguchi and the rest of the Olympic Hall class of 2006 will be inducted Dec. 8 at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park during the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, presented by Allstate, Induction Ceremony, in Chicago, Ill.
A nationally-televised special will air early in 2006 to enable sports fans across the United States to relive the moments that catapulted the Class of 2006 inductees to U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame status.
The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was established in 1979 to celebrate the achievements of America's premier athletes in the modern Olympic Games. The first U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame class was inducted in 1983 during ceremonies in Chicago. That Charter Class, which included Olympic greats Jesse Owens, Jim Thorpe and Muhammad Ali, remains the largest group (20 individuals and one team) ever inducted. In 2004, after a 12-year hiatus, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was revived through the support of the Allstate Insurance Company. To date, 182 athletes (including six U.S. teams) and special contributors to the U.S. Olympic Movement have been enshrined.