In today's society, influential people can change the way people live their daily lives, whether pleasant or immoral. Athletes, such as famous Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, have had a lasting impact on people around the world. How athletes overcome their challenges and achieve their goals is an important factor in influencing a nation. Another element of influencing a population is the extraordinary abilities of an athlete. Another style used by influential people is having the quality of integrity to exert moral influence over others. Additionally, society is changed by athletes who are able to dedicate other aspects of their lives to benefit the media and public. Kristi Yamaguchi has made an impact on society through her ability to overcome arduous challenges, use of her charismatic and artistic skating technique, her involvement in public awareness programs and charitable works, and through her talented dedication to everything she does. Kristi Yamaguchi had to overcome one of many challenges before becoming an Olympic figure skater. First, she was born with booted feet, a birth defect in which both of her feet were curved or tilted inward. Kristi started figure skating as therapy to heal her feet, but she came to love the sport and stuck with it. When the famous Olympian shares her story with her fans around the world, she inspires them to overcome their challenges and never stop striving for success. Kristi Yamaguchi also knew how to overcome diversity in the skating world. As the first figure skater of Asian-American descent to win an Olympic gold medal, she showed people that pigeonholing or prejudice would not exist in figure skating. She demonstrated that...... middle of paper ......foundation, 2013. Web. February 5, 2014.Brennan, Christine. “Kristi Yamaguchi always wins.” The United States Today. Gannett, January 31, 2014.Web. February 03, 2014. Hoppes, Lynn. “Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi to read on Facebook.” ESPN. ESPN InternetVentures, and Web. February 06, 2014. "Kristi Yamaguchi: Olympic medalist, fitness guru and mom." NPR. NPR, April 26, 2011.Web. February 3, 2014. Riss, Suzanne and Copyright 2010 Working Mother Media All rights reserved. "'92 Olympian Yamaguchi balances road, family." CNN. Cable News Network, February 23, 2010. Web. February 6. 2014.