Why Debi Thomas Failed at the Olympics

Debi Thomas was once America's sweetheart. The African-American figure skater captured the world's attention from the moment she stepped onto the ice in the 1980s. While studying for her engineering degree at Stanford University, Debi won both the U.S. and World championships—and she had her sights on Olympic gold.

If successful at the 1988 Winter Games, Debi would have been the first black athlete to medal at any Winter Olympics. However, she didn't reach her dreams of a gold. Instead, she stumbled and placed with a bronze.

Today, Debi has taken an Olympic fall from grace. She is penniless, divorced and has been fired from multiple jobs. She even lost custody of her teenage son.

When Iyanla sits down with her, she wants to go back to where the downfall first started: the Olympic Games. Why did Debi really fail to reach the gold? Watch the above video as Iyanla presses her for the truth.

More from this episode

Join Iyanla for her online course on forgiveness. Sign up here!