File this under "Who Knew"? Oksana Baiul, gold medal winner in fugure skating at the 1994 Olympics, is Jewish.



Oksana Baiul, figure skating champion, embraces Jewish roots

Finding her father was a part of that trip. So was getting to the truth about an old rumor that she was Jewish, although she had been raised Russian Orthodox. “When I was growing up in Russia, you were either Russian or Ukrainian. You couldn’t be Jewish. That would be an embarrassment.”.....

“It was very emotional,” she said. And while with him (her father), she asked about her roots. “’Is that true, that rumor that I am Jewish?’ I asked. He said, ‘Yes, your [maternal] grandmother was Jewish.’.....

“I’m exploring Judaism now. I’m just at the beginning. I’m taking it one day at a time, opening myself to the experience. It’s happening slowly but it feels good.”