Tai Babilonia

Tai Reina Babilonia, born on September 22, 1959, is a distinguished American former pair skater known for her remarkable achievements in the sport. Partnering with Randy Gardner, Babilonia captured the gold medal at the 1979 World Figure Skating Championships and secured five consecutive U.S. Figure Skating Championships from 1976 to 1980. Notably, she made history as the first African American figure skater to represent the United States at the Olympics, earning world titles along the way. Babilonia's heritage includes Filipino roots from her father's side and Native American ancestry.

Her journey in figure skating began at an early age when she and Gardner teamed up at eight and ten years old, respectively, under the mentorship of coach Mabel Fairbanks for a local exhibition in Culver City, California. After training with John Nicks starting in 1971, the duo made a striking debut by winning the junior gold medal at the U.S. Nationals in 1973. They continued to shine as seniors, placing second in 1974 and 1975 before claiming their five national titles and ultimately winning the World Championships.

Though they were strong contenders for the 1980 Winter Olympics, an unfortunate injury to Gardner led them to withdraw, marking the end of their competitive career. Subsequently, Babilonia and Gardner toured with Ice Capades and Champions on Ice, earning first place at the World Professional Championships in 1985. In 1990, her inspiring life story was depicted in the television film "On Thin Ice: The Tai Babilonia Story." She has a son named Scout from her marriage to Cary Butler and was previously engaged to comedian David Brenner.