Debi Thomas is one of the great female sports stars of the 1980s. As a pioneer for Black women in figure skating, she became the first African American athlete to ever win a medal in any event at the Winter Olympic Games. And while her sports career did not last long, her achievements were many.
When she was young, she told her mother that she wanted to be a champion figure skater and a doctor when she grew up. And so, she did. Born in 1967, she began figure skating at the age of 5 and won her first competition at age 9, starting her path in skating.
However, despite her focus, she always remained committed to her academic goals and eventually enrolled at Stanford University to study engineering.
In 1986, as a freshman, she represented the Los Angeles Skating Club and secured the senior title at the U.S. Nationals, after finishing second in 1985, becoming as such the first African American woman to win a non-novice title. The same year, she also won the World Championships.
Two years later, she reclaimed the U.S. national title and took home the bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics, again breaking the color barrier by becoming the first Black athlete to do so. Over the years, she received several accolades and in 2000, was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Thomas graduated from Stanford in 1991 and the next year, unlike most skaters who pursue a professional career, she retired and returned to school to become a doctor. She graduated from Northwestern University Medical School in 1997 specializing in orthopedic surgery. She later explained: “With orthopedics, I imagine that I can use my experience to make better prosthetic devices or surgical equipment.”
Not only did she enter a sport that is historically white and wealthy and challenged the stereotypes, but she also remarkably combined her passions for medicine and skating. “There were so many people saying that I [couldn’t] do [that] and go to school full time, and I was able to prove them wrong,” she said.