Kristi Yamaguchi has been honoured with her own Barbie doll

She told E! News: "At 20, it was kind of overwhelming, like, 'Oh, wow, what just happened?' I remember feeling the incredible support and the pride from the Asian American community.

"It was surreal to see the doll finished. It's like, 'Wow, that's my 20-year-old self.'"

The sports star joins the likes of Dr. Jane Gooddall, Eleanor Roosevelt and Dame Helen Mirren as part of their Inspiring Women series and noted that she has a "greater appreciation" for the gernatrions that came before her now and thinks it is "incredible" that young girls today will have role models to play with in the form of a doll.

She said: "Looking back, "I have a greater appreciation for the generations before me, who paved the way for that to be able to happen. It's incredible to have the opportunity to inspire other young girls out there. With all the challenges they face and the things they overcome, having role models out there where they can think, 'Hey, if they can overcome it, if they can have a big dream, so can I."

As a child, Kristi would take her doll version of figure skater Dorthy Hamill to the rink with her and recently explained that the plastic figure served as motivation for her as she practiced her craft.

In an essay for USA Today, she explained: "As a six-year-old, there was something meaningful to me about having Dorothy's doll next to me as I would jump, fall and pick myself back up again. She was there for me, reminding me of my dream and inspiring me."