Starr Andrews Lands In History Books After Becoming First Black US Figure Skater To Medal At Grand Prix

Nov 16, 2022

In 2010, figure skater Starr Andrews became a sensation after a video of her performing to Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair” went viral. It's since notched a staggering 57 million views. Back then, she was only 9 years old but she continued to pursue her skating dreams, taking her all the way to the upper international echelons of the sport. In October 2022, Andrews participated in an ISU Grand Prix event in Canada and made history by becoming the first Black woman from the United States to win a medal. 

Andrews performed her second program of the free skate competition to Lara Fabian’s rendition of “Je Suis Malade,” landing six triple jumps, including a challenging double axel euler triple salchow. To her disbelief, she earned enough points to make it onto the podium with a silver medal and into the history books.

“Making history is mind-blowing to me,” she told the Los Angeles Times and added: “It’s huge. It’s breaking barriers and paving a way for other young athletes like me and letting them know it’s possible that they can do it. I think it’s so cool.”

The 21-year-old, whose highest place in Grand Prix events thus far had been fifth place in France in 2019, posted about her win on Instagram, where she wrote: “I can’t even put into words how I feel right now!! I couldn’t be more proud of how I skated in Canada. Thank you to all the support I’ve gotten even on the skates that weren’t my best. This is a dream come true❤️❤️❤️”

Team USA followed up with a post celebrating her win: “A 🌟 in every sense of the word.” 

Andrews, who started skating when she was only 3 years old, said she is hoping to help diversify the sport that rarely sees Black skaters compete at an international level. 

“I think it’s a huge deal, to be a woman of color in figure skating,” Andrews said. “I’m so proud I could represent. (It makes) bringing home a medal even more special.”

Her views were echoed by her coach Derrick Delmore, who told the Olympic Channel, “Because there are so few Black skaters in the world, it’s really important for Starr to be a role model and a voice for skaters of color.”

Delmore added to Team USA: “It’s really, really important, especially with everything that’s going on in the world right now. She stepped up to the challenge. The fact she made so much of a statement this week does wonders for the community and it will continue to solidify her as a role model.” To this Andrews added:

“I think it's really important that the sport is more diverse because I feel like it isn't as diverse as it should be. You know, you see a couple people here and there, but I feel like it needs to be a normal thing that you see. And it's not."

With the win in Canada, Andrews is well on her way to realizing both her dream of sporting glory and diversifying the realm of figure skating. However, she said the first challenge will always be maintaining her form to remain competitive. She told Los Angeles Times:

“To still be in the sport is already a huge accomplishment because this sport is hard. It’s very difficult mentally and physically. To go from whipping my hair to winning a Grand Prix medal is amazing. It’s been such a journey.”

Congrats to Starr Andrews for her historic win! Are you a fan of figure skating? What do you love about the sport? Let us know and don’t forget to pass this along to family, friends and sports fans, too.