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Biography

Debi Thomas

Debi Thomas

Do you know Who is Debi Thomas?

Debi Thomas was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, on March 25, 1967, and was a professional figure skater before becoming a physician. She is best recognized as a two-time US national champion and Olympic bronze winner in figure skating in 1988.

Early Life 

Debi was born in New York, but her family later relocated to San Jose, California, where she grew up. Her parents split when she was young, so she mostly lived with her mother, a computer programming analyst in neighboring Sunnyvale. She began skating lessons at the age of five and entered her first figure skating competition four years later, winning and opting to pursue competitive skating. Her mother was tremendously supportive of her daughter’s skating career, driving over 100 miles every day to get her to school and skate practice. A year later, she met skating coach Alex McGowan, who introduced her to the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club in 1983. She would compete in various amateur contests until she was 21 years old.

Debi Thomas’ Body Measurements

Debi Thomas has previously competed. Along these lines, she has a well-kept figure. She stands 5 feet 5.5 inches tall. Her weight is estimated to be around 53 kg. Her hair is silver.

Relationship Status

In terms of her personal life, Thomas married Brian Vander Hogen in 1988, however, their marriage ended in divorce. In 1996, she married Chris Bequette, a sports attorney, and they had a son before divorcing. She is presently engaged to Jamie Loonie, with whom she has two children and lives in southwest Virginia. She was said to have gone bankrupt in 2015 as a result of two divorces and a failed medical practice. Due to bad living conditions, she also lost custody of her kid. She later appeared on “Iyania: Fix My Life” in an episode.

Net Worth

Debi Thomas’s net worth is unknown. According to sources, her net worth is $20,000 as of mid-2018, achieved primarily via achievement in professional figure skating and her job as a physician; nevertheless, divorces and working in relatively poor-stricken areas as a physician have reduced the amount of her bank account. Nonetheless, it is believed that her wealth would grow as she continues her initiatives.

Career

In 1986, Thomas won the US National and World Championships, culminating in her being named Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, the first female athlete to do so while still attending college full-time since Tenley Albright in the 1950s. She was also the first African-American to win the US National solo figure skating title. She was studying pre-med at Stanford University at the time. Later that year, she received the Candace Award for Trailblazing from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Her progress in the sport was impeded the next year as she suffered Achilles tendinitis.
She would come back strong at the World Championships, finishing second to Katarina Witt. She subsequently relocated to Boulder, Colorado to assist her preparation for the Olympics, and the following year she won the US National title. During the 1988 Winter Olympics, she competed against Katarina Witt in the “Battle of the Carmens,” in which both skaters had the same music – “Carmen” from the Georges Bizet musical. However, due to various errors during the competition, she was awarded the bronze medal.

Achievements

Debi was the first black athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. She was the only female athlete to finish in the top 22 of the Q score athlete rankings and was later inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame. During the 1980s, she was one of the first female skaters to perform a triple toe-triple toe combination.
Thomas began her medical education in 1989. However, due to difficulties working with other doctors, she never lasted in a clinic for more than a year. This prompted her to open her private clinic in Richlands, Virginia, which she ultimately closed due to her lack of business expertise, particularly in such a poor location.

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