Let's be real: Winter Olympics fun doesn't truly start until you see Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir in action as figure skating commentators. With their impressive knowledge of the sport, these two were basically made for dishing out hot takes about what's happening on the ice.
Tara, 30, and her BFF banter with fellow former skater Johnny (and their amazing fashion) make them a must-watch — even if you’re not into triple axels. But before tuning in, there are a few things you should know about Tara, like her own impressive history at the Olympics.
Here are the highlights:
Ice skating wasn’t her first sport.
Tara discovered her love for the rink when she started roller skating at age 3. At 9, she won the girls freestyle title at the United States Roller Skating Championships, according to her website.
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“I went roller skating for fun with my friend,” she explained. “If you went for a lesson you got a free CareBear, and we thought that was a good idea. And I just really fell in love with it.”
When she was 6, Tara tried ice skating for the first time. “My parents took me to the ice rink to see what would happen. First time around I didn’t really like it, I missed roller skating. Then, all of a sudden, within a half hour, I just transferred everything I learned onto the ice, and the rest is history,” she said.
Her fame goes back a long time.
Two decades ago, she made history. At age 14, Tara became the youngest person ever to win a World Figure Skating Championship. One year later, the gold medal she won at the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games made her the youngest winner of an individual medal ever. (She was 15 years and 255 days old, notes USA Today.)
Tara did win a gold medal—but she doesn't have it.
As she told People, “it goes to museums or exhibits and then if I ever wanted it back I can, and it has security to make sure nothing happens to it.”
Her husband is a sports producer.
Tara married sports producer Todd Kapostasy in June 2017 in Charleston, South Carolina, per People. Even better: The pre-ceremony celebration was held at the same place where Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds wed five years earlier. Of course, Johnny was her "bridesman."
“I feel so lucky that I get to spend the rest of my life loving my best friend and love of my life,” Tara said back when she and Todd first got engaged.
Together, the pair have one dog named Sully.
Tara and Todd are the proud parents of a few flat-coated retrievers. They brought their newest addition, Sully, home in Aug. 2020:
And every Halloween, Sully follows in his mom's footsteps with an over-the-top costume.
Today, Tara loves to travel.
Tara’s Instagram is filled with gorgeous pics of her world travels, from summer nights spent in France to trips spent in New York City.
And yes, she still skates! You can find tons of clips of Tara on the ice on her IG. "Through every stage, the ice and skating has been there for me. During good or bad times, it was always “home” and always will be. It’s also where I’ve never felt out of place," she captioned a recent video.
"Life throws a lot at you and to find a space where you feel whole and free is something I will never take for granted. 💫 I still look forward to many more years of learning and growing....all while having my “home” to escape to."
She's also an actress.
“The line from competing and skating and then performing as a professional and becoming an entertainer/actor was just a natural progression for me,” Tara said, per her website. “Acting has a very similar feeling to skating, and when I got roles based on my ability and not my name it was really satisfying.”
She's had cameo roles in plenty of television shows, including Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Malcolm In The Middle, The Young and the Restless, and more.
Catch Tara and Johnny in action during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.
