Gracie Gold facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gracie Gold
Gracie Gold at the 2015 Skate America
Personal information
Full name	Grace Elizabeth Gold
Country represented	United States
Born	(1995-08-17) August 17, 1995 (age 30) Newton, Massachusetts, United States
Home town	Wilmington, Delaware
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Coach	Alex Zahradnicek Pavel Filchenkov
Skating club	IceWorks Skating Club, Aston
Began skating	2003

Grace Elizabeth Gold (born August 17, 1995), known as Gracie Gold, is a famous American figure skater. She won a bronze medal at the 2014 Olympic team event. Gracie has also won six medals in the Grand Prix series. She is a two-time U.S. national champion, winning in 2014 and 2016.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, she finished 4th in the ladies' singles event. As a junior skater, Gracie earned a silver medal at the 2012 World Junior Championships. She also won the JGP Estonia in 2011 and was the U.S. junior national champion in 2012.

In 2014, Gracie Gold made history as the first American woman to win the NHK Trophy title. She also holds the record for the highest short program score by an American woman (76.43 points). She achieved this at the 2016 World Championships in Boston. Gracie is a strong supporter of mental health awareness. She was featured in the HBO sports documentary The Weight of Gold (2020). Her book, Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, ..., and Figuring It Out, became a New York Times Bestseller in February 2024.

About Gracie Gold

Grace Elizabeth Gold was born on August 17, 1995, in Newton, Massachusetts. Her mother, Denise, is an ER nurse. Her father, Carl Gold, is an anesthesiologist. Gracie has a fraternal twin sister named Carly, who is 40 minutes younger. Carly also used to compete in figure skating.

Gracie grew up in Springfield, Missouri, and later moved to Springfield, Illinois. She also lived in Corpus Christi, Texas. She went to Glenwood High School for ninth grade. After that, she switched to online classes through the University of Missouri. Gracie also took ballet lessons to help her improve her skating.

Gracie's Journey with Mental Health

Gracie Gold has openly shared her experiences with mental health challenges. She has received treatment for anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder. She talked about feeling very low after moving to Michigan in 2017. She sometimes stayed in her apartment for days.

Her teammate Ashley Wagner encouraged U.S. Figure Skating officials to help Gracie in 2016. Gracie accepted help after a difficult moment at an event in 2017. After returning to skating, she decided to focus on a healthier way to approach the sport. In December 2019, she told reporters, "Yes, things could be better, but look how far I've come." She was part of The Weight of Gold (2020). This HBO Sports Documentary looks at the mental health challenges faced by Olympic athletes.

Relationships

Gracie Gold briefly dated James Hernandez. He was a two-time British junior ice dance national champion. In 2025, she and former Canadian skater Nam Nguyen shared that they are in a relationship.

Skating Career

Gracie Gold started skating when she was 8 years old. She went to a friend's birthday party at a local rink in Springfield, Missouri. She first trained with Amy Vorhaben and Max Liu. Later, she worked with other coaches like Alexia Griffin, Susan Liss, and Toni Hickey. Alex Ouriashev also coached her in the Chicago area.

Gracie also competed in pairs with Sean Hickey. They placed eighth in juvenile pairs at the 2007 U.S. Junior Championships. She finished fourth at the novice level at the 2010 U.S. Championships. The next season, she competed as a junior. She worked hard to improve her technical skills for the upcoming season.

2011–12 Season: Junior Success

Gold (left) won the silver medal at the 2012 Junior World Championships

Gracie Gold made her first international appearance at the Junior Grand Prix in Tallinn, Estonia. She won the gold medal there. She then qualified for the 2012 U.S. Championships at the junior level. She won both the short and long programs to take the gold medal. Her score of 178.92 points was a record for a junior woman at the U.S. Championships. She won gold in all seven competitions leading up to the U.S. Championships that season.

Gracie competed at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Minsk, Belarus. She earned the silver medal at this event. After her success, she signed with IMG (International Management Group). Gracie was also chosen for the U.S. team at the 2012 World Team Trophy. In her first senior international event, she finished fifth. Team USA placed second overall.

2012–13 Season: Senior Debut

Gracie Gold skates her free program at the 2012 Rostelecom Cup

Gracie Gold started her senior Grand Prix career at the 2012 Skate Canada. She finished seventh there. She then worked with a sports psychologist to improve her focus. At her next event, the 2012 Rostelecom Cup, she won a silver medal.

At her first senior U.S. Nationals, she placed ninth in the short program. However, she came back to win the free skate. She earned the silver medal overall with 186.57 points. She competed at the 2013 Four Continents, finishing sixth. At the 2013 World Championships, she placed sixth overall. Her score of 184.25 points was a new personal best. Gracie's sixth-place finish, along with Ashley Wagner's fifth place, helped the U.S. women secure three spots for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

At the 2013 World Team Trophy in Tokyo, Gracie placed third in both programs. She finished third overall with a personal best of 188.03 points. Team USA won the team gold medal. In July 2013, Gracie became an ambassador for Pandora Jewelry.

2013–14 Season: First National Title and Olympic Medal

Gold at the 2014 US Championships

Gracie Gold changed coaches in August 2013. She trained with Marina Zoueva and Oleg Epstein while looking for a new permanent coach. She won a silver medal at her first event of the season, the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. On September 25, 2013, it was announced that Frank Carroll would be her permanent coach.

During the 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix series, Gracie competed at 2013 Skate Canada. She placed first in the short program with a personal best of 69.45 points. She won the bronze medal overall. At the 2013 NHK Trophy, she finished fourth.

At the 2014 U.S. Championships, Gracie placed first in the short program with 72.12 points. This was the highest ladies' score ever at the U.S. Championships under the ISU Judging System. She also won the free skate with a record score of 139.57. This secured her first senior national title. She was chosen for the U.S. team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. She won a bronze medal in the Olympic team event. She finished fourth in the ladies' singles event with 205.53 points. Gracie was then assigned to the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan, where she placed fifth overall. She performed with Stars on Ice at the end of the season.

2014–15 Season: NHK Trophy Title

Gracie Gold started her season at the 2014 Nebelhorn Trophy. She won the bronze medal there. For the 2014–15 ISU Grand Prix season, Gracie competed at 2014 Skate America and the 2014 NHK Trophy.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Elena Radionova, and Gold (left to right) during the medal ceremony at Skate America 2014

She won bronze at Skate America. She then won gold at the NHK Trophy. This was her first win at a Grand Prix event. It was also the first time an American woman won that event.

She qualified for her first Grand Prix Final. However, she had to withdraw on December 4, 2014, due to a stress fracture in her left foot. She won a silver medal at the 2015 U.S. Championships with 205.54 points. At the 2015 Four Continents Championships, Gracie placed fourth overall. At the 2015 World Championships, she finished fourth overall. This was her highest placement at a World Championship at that time. She competed for Team USA at the 2015 World Team Trophy. She placed first in the short program with 71.26 points. This was the highest score ever for an American woman in an ISU event. Team USA placed first overall.

2015–16 Season: Second National Title

Gold (left) on the podium at 2015 Skate America, with Evgenia Medvedeva (center) and Satoko Miyahara (right)

Gracie Gold's 2015–16 Grand Prix events were 2015 Skate America and the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard. She won the silver medal at Skate America. She placed first in the short program at Trophée Éric Bompard with 73.32 points.

Gold performing her free skate at the 2015 GPF

The event was canceled due to events in France. The ISU announced that the short program standings would be the final placements. This secured Gracie a spot in the 2015 Grand Prix Final, where she placed 5th overall.

On January 23, Gracie earned her second National title at the 2016 U.S. Championships in Saint Paul. She then placed fifth at the 2016 Four Continents Championships in Taipei, Taiwan. She competed at the 2016 World Championships in Boston. She placed first in the short program with 76.43 points. This was the highest short program score ever by an American woman. She finished fourth place overall. To end the season, Gracie competed at the 2016 KOSÉ Team Challenge Cup. She helped Team North America win the gold medal.

2016–17 Season: Challenges and Changes

Gracie Gold was assigned to two Grand Prix events. These were 2016 Skate America and the 2016 Trophée de France. She started her season at the 2016 Japan Open. She helped Team North America win the bronze medal. At 2016 Skate America, she placed fifth overall. She mentioned feeling "post worlds summer depression" as a reason for not being prepared. Her struggles continued at the Trophée de France. She scored 165.89 points for 8th place. This was her lowest Grand Prix finish.

In late 2016, Gracie started working again with her former coach, Alex Ouriashev. She trained with him in Chicago. Then she returned to Los Angeles to be coached by Frank Carroll. She finished 6th at the 2017 U.S. Championships. For the first time in her senior career, she was not chosen for the Four Continents and World Championship teams. Frank Carroll announced they would part ways after the event. Gracie said she was surprised but still respected Frank. She took time to decide on new coaching arrangements.

On February 8, 2017, Gracie Gold announced that Marina Zoueva and Oleg Epstein would be her trainers. They worked at the Arctic Edge ice rink in Canton.

2017–18 Season: Taking a Break

Gracie Gold withdrew from the 2017 Japan Open and the 2017 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy. She also withdrew from her two Grand Prix events in October. These withdrawals were due to ongoing treatment for anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder. Gracie later withdrew from U.S. nationals. She said she would not have enough training beforehand. At the end of the season, it was reported that Gracie was hired as a coach in Arizona.

2018–19 Season: Comeback Attempt

Gracie Gold at the 2018 Rostelecom Cup

On June 28, 2018, it was announced that Gracie Gold would compete at the 2018 Rostelecom Cup. Her coach was Vincent Restencourt. Former figure skater Jeremy Abbott choreographed her programs. At the 2018 Rostelecom Cup, she had a difficult short program. She scored 37.51 points, her lowest score ever. She placed 10th and last. Gracie then withdrew from the free skate. She said it would help her mental health. She planned to compete in the 2019 US Championships. However, on January 9, 2019, she withdrew to prepare more for the 2019–2020 season. She was working towards the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Videos showed her practicing jumps without a harness.

2019–2020 Season

Gracie Gold was not eligible for a Grand Prix event. She competed in regional events to earn a spot at the 2020 U.S. Championships. Her coach posted videos of her attempting triple Axels and quadruple salchows in harness. She also practiced all her triple jumps. At the 2020 U.S. South Atlantic Regional Atlantic Championships, Gracie placed third overall. This allowed her to advance to the 2020 Eastern Sectional Championships, where she won the bronze medal. This earned her a spot for the 2020 U.S. Championships. She placed twelfth at the national championships.

2020–2021 Season

Gracie Gold was named to U.S. Figure Skating's international selection pool. This meant she could compete at international events. She was assigned to compete at 2020 Skate America. The ISU decided to run the 2020-2021 Grand Prix based on skaters' training locations. This was to limit travel during the coronavirus pandemic. She finished twelfth. Gracie placed thirteenth at the 2021 U.S. Championships.

2021–2022 Season

Gracie was sixth in the short program at the 2022 U.S. Championships. However, she dropped to tenth place overall after the free skate.

2022–2023 Season

For the new season, Gracie said she wanted to be seen as "really competitive." She won the bronze medal at the Philadelphia Summer International. She became the oldest female skater to land a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination in international competition at age 27. Gracie was twelfth at the 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. She placed sixth at 2022 Skate America. At the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Gracie landed another triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination. She placed 5th in the short program. She finished 8th overall, her best result since 2017.

Endorsements and Recognition

In October 2013, Gracie Gold became a face of CoverGirl. She appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in February 2014. She was also featured in GQ Japan and Teen Vogue. In March 2014, she was named the 2014 Sportswoman of the Year by the Los Angeles Council. She is an ambassador for KOSÉ Infinity, a beauty product.

Gracie is sponsored by several companies. These include John Wilson (her blade manufacturer), Edea (her skating boot manufacturer), Visa, United Airlines, Procter & Gamble, Red Bull, and Nike.

Competitive Highlights

Gracie Gold at the 2014 Skate America podium

Gracie Gold at the 2013 Skate Canada podium

Gracie Gold at the 2012 Rostelecom Cup podium

• GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
• JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
• CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
• WD – Withdrew from competition
• Medals at team events are awarded for the team results only. Individual placements at team events are listed in parentheses.

Images for kids

• 

  Gold at the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final

• 

  Gold at the 2012 World Team Trophy

• 

  Gold at the 2012 Rostelecom Cup

See also

In Spanish: Gracie Gold para niños