On this date in 1988, world-class figure skater Debi Thomas made an Olympic first â when she won bronze at the Winter Olympic Games in Calgary.
She was the first African American â in fact, the first person of African ancestry to win any medal in the Winter Games.
While sheâs had her share of ups and downs in the years since, Thomas remains proud of her life and says she still feels like an Olympian. âThe difference between Olympians and average people is that weâre willing to do things that others arenât,â she tells the âNew York Post.â âWeâre willing to look at something and do that work, no matter how long or hard.â