Legendary Figure Skating Athletes : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

Katarina Witt

At the Sarajevo 1984 Olympic Winter Games, Germany's Katarina Witt narrowly won the women's figure skating gold medal by defeating two world champions, Rosalynn Sumners and Elaine Zayak of the United States. >>>

Shizuka Arakawa

At the age of five, Shizuka Arakawa took part in skating school. By the time she was eight, she was already able to perform a triple salchow. >>>

Richard Button

Two days before the free skating portion of the 1948 Olympic Winter Games in St. Moritz, 18-year-old Richard "Dick" Button successfully completed a double Axel for the first time. >>>

Jeannette Altwegg

Jeannette Altwegg was an accomplished tennis player who made it to the junior finals at Wimbledon in 1947. >>>

Peggy Fleming

Peggy Fleming’s family happily sacrificed to allow her to pursue her love for figure skating. Her mother designed and sewed all of her costumes and her father relocated the family twice to find better training for his daughter. >>>

Brian Boitano

Going into the free skating portion of the men's figure skating competition in Calgary in 1988, American Brian Boitano and Canadian Brian Orser were essentially tied for first place. >>>

Evgeni Plushenko

At four years of age, Evgeni Plushenko already dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion. At 11, he was performing triple jumps, and had joined his coach in St. Petersburg, Russia to train. >>>

Gillis Grafström

Gillis Grafström was one of figure skating's greatest innovators. Among his inventions were the spiral, the change sit spin and the flying sit spin. >>>

Tara Lipinski

Raised in Sugarland, Texas, tiny Tara Lipinski first attracted international attention when, at the age of 13, she qualified for the United States figure skating team at the 1996 world championships. >>>

Tenley Albright

Tenley Albright was stricken with nonparalytic polio at the age of 11. Six years later, she made her first Olympic appearance in Oslo, Norway in 1952, winning the silver medal in figure skating behind Jeannette Altwegg of Great Britain. >>>

Kristi Yamaguchi

Kristi Yamaguchi,became obsessed with figure skating as a little girl — her favourite toy was a Dorothy Hamill doll that she carried with her everywhere. >>>

Alexei Yagudin

Alexei Yagudin achieved early success as a figure skater. He won the World Juniors Championship in 1996 and then earned a bronze medal at the 1997 world championships when he was only 17 years old. >>>

Irina Rodnina

Irina Rodnina was the most successful pairs’ skater in history, winning three Olympic gold medals and 10 successive World Championship titles from 1969 to 1978. >>>

Carol Heiss

In 1956, 16-year-old American figure skater Carol Heiss traveled to the Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic Winter Games with her mother, who was dying of cancer. >>>