What Happened to These Top Winter Olympians?

Debi Thomas, 50

Then: Thomas, whose highly hyped competition was East German skater Katarina Witt, nabbed a bronze medal in figure skating at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, becoming the first African American to win a medal at the Winter Games. She was known as a very bright, determined and athletic skater. But Witt took home the gold.

Now: Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford and then graduated from medical school at Northwestern. She went into private practice in Virginia but, according to a Washington Post account, is living in a mobile home in that state and no longer practicing.

Ski racer Suzy Chaffee at the 1968 Winter Olympics; Chaffee at a 2015 photo shoot for "AARP The Magazine"

Bettmann Archive/Getty Images, Ian Allen for AARP

Suzi Chaffee, 71

Then: Chaffee was favored to win gold at the 1968 Games in Grenoble, France, but used the wrong ski wax prior to her race and finished a disappointing 28th. Chaffee was famous for her silver racing suits and fashion sense. She also signed a deal for a lip balm product and cheekily introduced herself in commercials as “Suzy Chapstick.”

Now: Chaffee, a three-time women’s freestyle champion, was the first woman on the U.S. Olympic Committee’s board of directors and is a cofounder of the Native American Olympic Team Foundation. In an AARP The Magazine interview she said she had a hip replaced in 2004. She lives in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Figure skater Dorothy Hamill at the 1976 Winter Olympics; Hamill at a speaking event in 2016

Tony Triolo/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images, John Lamparski/WireImage

Dorothy Hamill, 61

Then: Hamill won a gold medal in figure skating at the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics. She inspired millions of fans with her engaging smile, and women around the world asked hairdressers for her trademark short and sassy haircuts.

Now: Hamill lives in the Palm Springs, Calif., area and continues to skate and mentor skaters, including kids with disabilities. She has written two autobiographies, headlined Ice Capades (and later bought it), and appeared on Dancing with the Stars and Chopped. She has battled breast cancer and depression, and has been married three times. Her first husband was Dean Paul Martin, one of singer Dean Martin's sons.

Then: Hamill won a gold medal in figure skating at the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics. She inspired millions of fans with her engaging smile, and women around the world asked hairdressers for her trademark short and sassy haircuts.

Now: Hamill lives in the Palm Springs, Calif., area and continues to skate and mentor skaters, including kids with disabilities. She has written two autobiographies, headlined Ice Capades (and later bought it), and appeared onDancing with the Stars andChopped. She has battled breast cancer and depression, and has been married three times. Her first husband was Dean Paul Martin, one of singer Dean Martin's sons.

Eric Heiden, 59

Then: Speed skater Eric Heiden won gold in all five speed skating events at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, giving him more gold medals than every country outside of the United States, East Germany and the Soviet Union. He later pursued a cycling career and won the U.S. Professional Cycling Championship in 1985.

Now: Heiden earned a medical degree at Stanford and is an orthopedic surgeon in Park City, Utah. He has served as the U.S. speed skating team’s doctor, as well as team doctor for both the Sacramento Kings (NBA) and Sacramento Monarchs (WNBA). He’s expected to light the torch to kick off 2018 Winter Olympic celebrations in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Feb. 9, the day the Olympics begin in South Korea.

Then: Speed skater Eric Heiden won gold in all five speed skating events at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, giving him more gold medals than every country outside of the United States, East Germany and the Soviet Union. He later pursued a cycling career and won the U.S. Professional Cycling Championship in 1985

Bonnie Blair competes at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games; Blair at the 2010 Winter Olympics as a spectator

Simon Bruty, Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Bonnie Blair, 53

Then: One of America’s top athletes ever, Blair won six speed skating medals — five of them gold — at the 1988, 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics.

Now: After retiring in 1995, Blair became a motivational speaker and founded the Bonnie Blair Charitable Fund. She and her husband, Dave Cruikshank, a former Olympic skater, live in Wisconsin and have two children. Their daughter, Blair Cruikshank, recently competed in the U.S. speed skating trials. She didn’t make the Olympic team for Pyeongchang, but is aiming for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.