Katarina Witt
Originally representing East Germany, former figure skater Katarina Witt made history when she became the first female since 1936 to win back-to-back in the singles at the Winter Olympics.
She first struck gold in 1984 in Sarajevo and then four years later in Calgary.
Katarina Witt – Now
East Germany’s end meant that Witt had complete freedom to pursue dreams outside of figure skating. Not only did she appear in Playboy magazine, but she also had her own memoir published in 2005 – Only With Passion.
In 2013, a biopic aired on ESPN about Witt’s life both before and after the unification of Germany. Most recently, Witt helped Munich’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Dorothy Hamill
1976 was truly the year for Dorothy Hamill. It was the year when the former figure skater won both the ladies’ singles event at the Winter Olympics, which took place in Innsbruck, Austria, as well as the World Championships. Her Olympic triumph was particularly impressive seeing that she was the last to win gold without hitting a triple jump. Hamill is also renowned for having created her own move – the “Hamill camel.” It’s essentially a camel spin that evolves into a sit spin.
Dorothy Hamill – Now
Like many successful figure skaters, Dorothy Hamill turned to professional performances after her Olympic and World Championship triumphs. One of her keynote performances was on the show Broadway on Ice and Hamill also made an appearance on the 16th season of Dancing with the Stars. However, after just two episodes, she had to pull out after receiving a nasty injury. Since then though, Hamill has bounced back with performances in shows such as Go Figure: The Randy Gardner Story.
Sarah Hughes
One of the younger athletes on this list to have competed in figure skating, Sarah Hughes made her presence known at the turn of the Millennium when she won the bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships in Vancouver. Just a year later though, Hughes took her game to the next level when she won the gold in the ladies’ singles at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. She finished 1st, with Irina Slutskaya and Michelle Kwan coming in at 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Sarah Hughes
One of the younger athletes on this list to have competed in figure skating, Sarah Hughes made her presence known at the turn of the Millennium when she won the bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships in Vancouver. Just a year later though, Hughes took her game to the next level when she won the gold in the ladies’ singles at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. She finished 1st, with Irina Slutskaya and Michelle Kwan coming in at 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Sarah Hughes – Now
Shortly after her Olympic triumph, Sarah Hughes enroled at Yale University where she eventually graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in American Studies. It was also during this time that she decided to take a break from her studies to tour with the Smuckers Stars on Ice. Being Jewish, Hughes received a huge honor in 2005 when she was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. She is currently studying at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
