Wide World of Sports

Oksana Baiul

Who is she? Why she is famous? Oksana Baiul is one of the youngest skating champion in the history of the sport.

Oksana Baiul was born on November 16, 1977 in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. Now, she is 30 years old and lives in New Jersey.

Oksana began figure skating at 4 years of age. Her mother died when she was only thirteen. Her grandparents had died two years earlier. She was all alone. She worked a lot on the ice rink during her teen years. She admits she had a lot of emotional setbacks. She did not have a lot of fun like the other children.

Oksana Baiul finished second in the European competition in 1993 and 1994. Also she won gold in World Championship in 1993 and gold in Winter Olympic in 1994.Oksana turned professional after the 1994 Winter Olympics. She injured her knee and had to have knee surgery in 1994. The doctor told her not to go back on the ice for two months. She returned to ice rink for two weeks. She could not jump well due to her knee. In 1997, she had a car accident while she is drinking. She had a concussion. But she continued to work towards her dreams.

Oskana Baiul contributes to the community by supporting the Tikva Children's Home Charity offering help for the Jewish Children of Odessa, Ukraine. Oskana is a member of the International Museum of Women, a world-class cultural and educational institution whose mission is to value the lives of women around the world.

Oksana Baiul is a role model. She is famous because she is good at figure skating and won many medals at young age. After many years of hard work, she decided to pursue other interests. She now is a very happy owner of a small business. She has her own line of clothing and jewelry and tours with Stars on Ice.

Photo from frogsonice.com

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oksana_Baiul

http://www.oksanastyle.com/about.htm

Written by Olivia and Rachel