Tara Kristen Lipinski (born June 10, 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) of Sugar Land, Texas is an accomplished figure skater and media celebrity. She was Olympic Champion in Figure Skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics. At those games, she became the youngest gold medalist (at age 15) in the history of the Olympic Winter Games, a record that still stands. Lipinski first came to national prominence when she won the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival competition, which at the time was a junior-level competition. Later that season she placed 4th at the 1995 World Junior Championships and 2nd in the junior level at the 1995 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Already, by that time, Lipinski was the subject of a great deal of media attention. |