Kimberly “Kimmie” Claire Meissner (born October 4, 1989 in Towson, Maryland) is an American figure skater and current World Figure Skating Champion (2006). At the 2005 United States Figure Skating Championships, Meissner become the second U.S. woman to ever land a triple Axel in competition. Meissner recently represented the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics after placing second at the 2006 United States Figure Skating Championships.

Meissner became both the novice and junior national champion in two consecutive years (2003 and 2004), and the surprise 2005 national bronze medalist. She also took gold at the 2006 World Figure Skating Championships.

A native of Maryland, Meissner eventually moved to Newark, Delaware, to intensify her training. She joined and is still part of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club. Meissner started to steadily pick up medals - first at the regional level, and gradually winning national titles. She lives with her family in Bel Air, Maryland, while she attends Fallston High School.

Meissner’s coach is Pam Gregory. Gregory and Lori Nichol are her choreographers, and her off-ice trainer is Jeff Snyder. Meissner’s dress designer is Brad Griffies. Her support system includes her parents, Dr. Paul and Judy Meissner; brothers Nathan, Adam and Luke; and pets: Ozzie the cat and Misha, Tucker, and Flame, the dogs.

Her mottos include “Enjoy what you do; do what you enjoy” and “Don’t take yourself too seriously; have fun.” In her spare time, when not skating, Meissner reads, draws, bikes, skiis, rides horses, plays tennis, and writes poetry. She also plans to major in biology and become a marine biologist.

By age 15, Meissner grew to the height of 5′3″ and won the bronze medal at the 2005 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships. Meissner completed a triple Axel at the event, becoming only the second U.S. lady to do so in competition (Tonya Harding was the first, in 1991). Meissner has not attempted any quad jumps, but she practices triple-triple combination jumps and the triple Axel on a regular basis.

Meissner skated in the 2006 Winter Olympics, placing fifth in the short program and sixth overall. At the age of 16, Meissner competed in her first World Championships in 2006 and took home the gold, upsetting favorite Sasha Cohen. During the free skate, Meissner completed seven triple jumps, including two triple-triple combinations, and received a new personal best score of 189.87. [1] [2] She was the first woman to win the Worlds on her first appearance since 1993, when Oksana Baiul won on her first attempt.

After Kimmie returned from the 2006 World Figure Skating Championships, a parade was held in her honor in her hometown of Bel Air, and, shortly thereafter, a road there was renamed Kimmie Way.

Courtesy of Wikipedia