Former American figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi has an estimated net worth of $18 million that she earned as the 1992 Winter Olympic Champion in ladies’ singles. She also won two World Figure Skating Championships in 1991 and 1992 as well as a U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1992. Born Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi on July 12, 1971 in Hayward, California, Kristi is Yonsei or fourth-generation Nikkei. She and her siblings, Brett and Lori, grew up in Fremont, California. As a child, she took skating and ballet lessons as physical therapy for her club feet. She attended Mission San Jose High School during her junior and senior years.

Yamaguchi was a U.S. National Pairs Champion twice in 1989 and 1990 with partner Rudy Galindo. She then decided to focus on the singles competition. She won the World Junior Championships in 1988 both in singles and pairs. She turned pro after the 1992 competitive season. For many years, she toured with Stars on Ice and also participated in the pro competition circuit.

Kristi established the Always Dream Foundation for children in 1996. The foundation aims to provide funding for after school programs, computers, back-to-school clothes for underprivileged children, and summer camps for kids with disabilities. Currently, the foundation is focused on early childhood literacy.

Yamaguchi was married on July 8, 2000 to Bret Hedican, a retired professional hockey player she met during the 1992 Winter Olympics when he played for Team USA. They had two daughters: Keara Kiyomi and Emma Yoshiko. She appeared as herself Everybody Loves Raymond and in D2: The Mighty Ducks, Frosted Pink and the Disney Channel Original Movie Go Figure. She also performed in TV skating specials including the special Alladin on Ice as Princess Jasmine.

In December 2005, Kristi was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. She was also the host of WE TV series Skating’s Next Star in 2006. She became a celebrity champion in the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars. She is the author of Always Dream, Pure Gold and Figure Skating for Dummies. She published the children’s book Dream Big, Little Pig in 2011. Its sequel It’s a Big World Little Pig was published on March 6, 2012.