The first Native American female to compete in the Winter Olympics, Naomi Lang performed with the Grand Rapids Ballet Company and excelled in dance at the Interlochen Arts Academy before turning her talents to the ice.
Teaming with Peter Tchernyshev, the duo captured five consecutive U.S. ?National Ice Dancing titles from 1999 through 2003.
In 2002, the couple placed 11th at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and they also won a pair of Four Continents Championships and placed eighth in the World Championships.
With her first partner, John Lee, she won the 1995 U.S. Novice dance title and a 1996 Junior Olympic silver medal. She started skating with Tchernyshev after he saw her skate and wrote her a letter asking her to consider partnering with him.
The duo announced their competitive retirement in 2004 but continued skating together professionally for a few years in ice shows and on international tours.
Lang, who later became an ice dance manager at a skating center in Scottsdale, Ariz., was born in California but lived in the Allegan area from age eight through her junior year in high school. She is a member of the Karuk Tribe of California. Her Indian name is Maheetahan, meaning Morning Star.