![\"Gallery:](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Gallery-Olympic-Athletes-Whove-Competed-Dancing-With-the-Stars-001.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C2000px%2C1131px&resize=400%2C225&quality=40&strip=all\")
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\n Related: <\/span>Olympic Athletes Who\u2019ve Competed on ‘Dancing With the Stars’<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tSince season 4 of Dancing With the Stars, Olympic athletes have been at the top of the list when it comes to celebrities to cast. Apolo Ohno was the first Olympian to compete, taking home the mirrorball trophy alongside pro partner Julianne Hough in 2007. Ohno\u2019s win got him invited back for the all-stars season [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Tara Lipinski Is an Olympic Gold Medalist<\/h2>\n\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-329177How-The-Traitors-Cast-Member-Tara-Lipinski-Pioneered-Modern-Figure-Skating.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Tara Lipinski<\/span> Jamie Squire \/Allspor<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLipinski made her lone Olympic appearance count, winning the gold at age 15 at the 1998 games in Japan to become the youngest gold medalist in Olympic figure skating history. She came in second to Team USA rival Michelle Kwan<\/strong><\/a> in the short program before showing off her iconic triple loop-triple loop combination during the free skate to take home the win.<\/p>\nTara Lipinski Was Dominant From a Young Age<\/h2>\n
In addition to making Olympic history as a teenager, Lipinski also won the 1997 U.S. Championships at age 14 and a month later won the World Championships. She became the youngest female to accomplish either feat.<\/p>\n
Appropriately, she was also the youngest skater ever inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013, at age 31.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n![\"Simone](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Simone-Biles-Through-the-Years-From-Junior-Champ-to-Gymnastics-GOAT-362.jpg?crop=0px%2C20px%2C2000px%2C1130px&resize=400%2C225&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Related: <\/span>Simone Biles Becomes the Most Decorated U.S. Olympic Gymnast<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tSimone Biles is small in stature \u2014 just 4-foot-8 \u2014 but her reputation looms large. The Texas native started taking gymnastics classes at age 6 and earned an invite to the junior national team camp by 14. She had several world championship gold medals before she made her Olympics debut in Rio de Janeiro at [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan Were Fierce Rivals<\/h2>\n\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1312625217How-The-Traitors-Cast-Member-Tara-Lipinski-Pioneered-Modern-Figure-Skating.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Chen Lu, Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan<\/span> Photo by Jamie Squire\/Allsport\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLipinski and Kwan had a short-lived but intense rivalry that was rooted in mutual respect. It began when the pair went head-to-head at the 1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Lipinski upset the heavily favored Kwan, who took an ill-timed fall on the ice that, she admits, caused her to lose her composure.<\/p>\n
Years later, Lipinski told The Tennessean<\/em><\/a> that the two never spoke again about that day.<\/p>\n\u201cI always feel such a connection to Michelle even though we\u2019re not up to date on each other\u2019s lives,\u201d she said in the 2022 interview. \u201cWe don\u2019t really talk. We\u2019ve never really sat down and talked about our past, although that would be an interesting conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added, \u201cWe had a pretty intense rivalry, which I\u2019m quite grateful for. I don\u2019t think I would have pushed myself as hard as I did without Michelle Kwan. One of the best skaters of all time was making me work harder and harder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n![\"Gymnasts](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-Gymnasts-Simone-Biles-and-MyKayla-Skinners-History-Explained.jpg?crop=0px%2C31px%2C1421px%2C802px&resize=400%2C225&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
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\n Related: <\/span>Simone Biles and MyKayla Skinner’s History Explained<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tSimone Biles and MyKayla Skinner had a history long before the retired gymnast\u2019s controversial comments about Team USA\u2019s work ethic. \u201cBesides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn\u2019t what it used to be. I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don\u2019t work as hard. The girls just don\u2019t have the work [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Tara Lipinski Made Figure Skating History in 1996 With 1 Move<\/h2>\n
Before the triple loop-triple loop combination was Lipinski\u2019s signature move, she became the first woman to ever land it in a competition in 1997. Others have followed her since, but seeing a 14-year-old pull it off helped raise the bar for the women who followed.<\/p>\n
Lipinski explained in a 2018 New York Times<\/em><\/a> op-ed that she added the move to her arsenal as a way to beat Kwan.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThank You!<\/h3>\n
You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
\u201cHow do you beat a perfect score?\u201d she wrote. \u201cTo find a way to compete with her, my coaches and I needed to come up with a plan. My best chance, we decided, would be to add technical difficulty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara Lipinski Is Credited With Making Figure Skating More Complex<\/h2>\n
Lipinski\u2019s loop-triple loop is now commonplace in the sport, as that technical difficulty she wrote became a new avenue to success. Jere Longman wrote in The New York Times<\/em><\/a> at the time that Lipinski \u201chas propelled the sport forward with the difficulty of her jumps,\u201d and that holds true today.<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s little decisions like these that accumulate through the years and through the efforts of multiple athletes to push a sport forward, and I\u2019m very proud to have played a small part in this evolution,\u201d Lipinski wrote in her op-ed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n Tara Lipinski<\/span> Jamie Squire \/Allspor<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Lipinski made her lone Olympic appearance count, winning the gold at age 15 at the 1998 games in Japan to become the youngest gold medalist in Olympic figure skating history. She came in second to Team USA rival Michelle Kwan<\/strong><\/a> in the short program before showing off her iconic triple loop-triple loop combination during the free skate to take home the win.<\/p>\n In addition to making Olympic history as a teenager, Lipinski also won the 1997 U.S. Championships at age 14 and a month later won the World Championships. She became the youngest female to accomplish either feat.<\/p>\n Appropriately, she was also the youngest skater ever inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013, at age 31.<\/p>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\tSimone Biles is small in stature \u2014 just 4-foot-8 \u2014 but her reputation looms large. The Texas native started taking gymnastics classes at age 6 and earned an invite to the junior national team camp by 14. She had several world championship gold medals before she made her Olympics debut in Rio de Janeiro at [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lipinski and Kwan had a short-lived but intense rivalry that was rooted in mutual respect. It began when the pair went head-to-head at the 1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Lipinski upset the heavily favored Kwan, who took an ill-timed fall on the ice that, she admits, caused her to lose her composure.<\/p>\n Years later, Lipinski told The Tennessean<\/em><\/a> that the two never spoke again about that day.<\/p>\n \u201cI always feel such a connection to Michelle even though we\u2019re not up to date on each other\u2019s lives,\u201d she said in the 2022 interview. \u201cWe don\u2019t really talk. We\u2019ve never really sat down and talked about our past, although that would be an interesting conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n She added, \u201cWe had a pretty intense rivalry, which I\u2019m quite grateful for. I don\u2019t think I would have pushed myself as hard as I did without Michelle Kwan. One of the best skaters of all time was making me work harder and harder.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\tSimone Biles and MyKayla Skinner had a history long before the retired gymnast\u2019s controversial comments about Team USA\u2019s work ethic. \u201cBesides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn\u2019t what it used to be. I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don\u2019t work as hard. The girls just don\u2019t have the work [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Before the triple loop-triple loop combination was Lipinski\u2019s signature move, she became the first woman to ever land it in a competition in 1997. Others have followed her since, but seeing a 14-year-old pull it off helped raise the bar for the women who followed.<\/p>\n Lipinski explained in a 2018 New York Times<\/em><\/a> op-ed that she added the move to her arsenal as a way to beat Kwan.<\/p>\n You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n \u201cHow do you beat a perfect score?\u201d she wrote. \u201cTo find a way to compete with her, my coaches and I needed to come up with a plan. My best chance, we decided, would be to add technical difficulty.\u201d<\/p>\n Lipinski\u2019s loop-triple loop is now commonplace in the sport, as that technical difficulty she wrote became a new avenue to success. Jere Longman wrote in The New York Times<\/em><\/a> at the time that Lipinski \u201chas propelled the sport forward with the difficulty of her jumps,\u201d and that holds true today.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s little decisions like these that accumulate through the years and through the efforts of multiple athletes to push a sport forward, and I\u2019m very proud to have played a small part in this evolution,\u201d Lipinski wrote in her op-ed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nTara Lipinski Was Dominant From a Young Age<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Simone Biles Becomes the Most Decorated U.S. Olympic Gymnast<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\nTara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan Were Fierce Rivals<\/h2>\n
<\/div>
\n Chen Lu, Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan<\/span> Photo by Jamie Squire\/Allsport\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Simone Biles and MyKayla Skinner’s History Explained<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\nTara Lipinski Made Figure Skating History in 1996 With 1 Move<\/h2>\n
Thank You!<\/h3>\n
Tara Lipinski Is Credited With Making Figure Skating More Complex<\/h2>\n