Debi Thomas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Debi Thomas
Personal information
Full name	Debra (Debi) Janine Thomas
Country represented	United States
Born	(1967-03-25) March 25, 1967 (age 58) Poughkeepsie, New York, United States
Height	1.67 m
Former coach	Alex McGowan
Skating club	Los Angeles Figure Skating Club
Retired	1988
Medal record Figure skating: Ladies' singles Representing the  United States Olympic Games Bronze 1988 Calgary Ladies' singles World Championships Gold 1986 Geneva Ladies' singles Silver 1987 Cincinnati Ladies' singles Bronze 1988 Budapest Ladies' singles

Debra Janine Thomas (born March 25, 1967) is an American figure skater and doctor. She is famous for her amazing skating skills. Debi won the World Championship in 1986. She also earned a bronze medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics. She was a two-time U.S. national champion. Her exciting competition with East Germany's Katarina Witt at the 1988 Olympics was called the "Battle of the Carmens".

Early Life

Debi Thomas was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. She grew up in San Jose, California. Her mother worked as a computer programmer.

Skating Career

Debi started skating when she was just 5 years old. She loved it right away. At age 9, she won her first competition. Her mother helped her a lot, driving over 100 miles each day. This allowed Debi to go to school, home, and the ice rink.

When she was young, Debi was coached by Barbara Toigo Vitkovits. At age 10, she met Scottish coach Alex McGowan. In 1983, she joined the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club. This helped her career take off. Alex McGowan coached her until she stopped competing as an amateur at age 21.

Winning World and National Titles

In 1985, Debi placed fifth at the World Championships. The next year, in 1986, she won the gold medal! She was 18 years old. She performed great jumps and spins. That same year, she also won the U.S. national title. These big wins earned her the "Athlete of the Year" award from ABC's Wide World of Sports.

Debi was the first female athlete since the 1950s to win these titles while also going to college full-time. She was also the first African-American woman to win U.S. National titles in ladies' singles figure skating. During this time, she was studying to become a doctor at Stanford University. It was very unusual for a top skater to go to college while competing. In 1986, she received a special award called the Candace Award for being a trailblazer.

Olympic Challenge: The Battle of the Carmens

In 1987, Debi had some ankle problems. She placed second at the U.S. Nationals. But she still did well at the World Championships. She finished a close second to East German skater Katarina Witt.

To get ready for the Olympics, Debi moved to Boulder, Colorado. In January 1988, she won the U.S. national title again. At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, everyone watched Debi and Katarina Witt. The media called their competition the "Battle of the Carmens". Both skaters used music from the opera Carmen for their long programs.

Debi's Carmen program had powerful jumps and fast spins. She showed strong, clean lines with her arms and legs. She looked like a powerful and confident woman on the ice. For her short program, she used modern dance music. She wore a special outfit that showed off her long lines and muscles. Her program also included big jumps and energetic steps.

Debi started the Olympics strong. She did well in her first two parts of the competition. In her free skating program, she made a few mistakes on her jumps. She finished third overall. This earned her the bronze medal. Katarina Witt won gold, and Canadian skater Elizabeth Manley won silver. By winning bronze, Debi Thomas became the first black athlete to win any medal at the Winter Olympics.

After the Olympics

After the 1988 Olympics, Debi won a bronze medal at the World Championships. Then she stopped competing as an amateur. She joined a show called Stars on Ice. She also won the World Professional Championships three times: in 1988, 1989, and 1991.

In 2000, Debi was added to the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. In 2006, President George W. Bush chose her to be part of the U.S. team for the Winter Olympics opening ceremonies in Turin, Italy. She joined other famous Olympians like Dorothy Hamill and Eric Heiden. Debi also returned to the ice for a special event honoring American figure skating legends.

In October 2023, Debi competed again at the World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships. She placed second in ladies' figures.

Medical Career

Debi Thomas wanted to be a doctor from a young age. She studied engineering at Stanford University. She later graduated from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 1997. She then completed special training in surgery.

Debi became an orthopedic surgeon. This means she specialized in surgeries like hip and knee replacement. She was good at her work and patients liked her.

Personal Life

Debi Thomas married Brian Vander Hogen in 1988. Later, she married Chris Bequette in 1996. They had a son named Luc Bequette (born 1997). Luc later played defensive tackle for UC Berkeley.

Debi Thomas currently lives and trains in Florida.

Programs

Competitive Highlights

Amateur career

Professional career