Hangatu and Isabel's Figure Skating Escapades

Join figure skating sisters Hangatu and Isabel Fisseha Kirkos on their figure skating escapades this season leading up to the Winter Olympics in Milan. They are known to make fun of each other, as well as their three other sisters, Natalia, Valeria, and Abigail, and their friends.

Hangatu

Hangatu was born on June 5, 2003, in Los Angeles, California, as the middle of five sisters, meaning Hangatu is a June gemini. Natalia and Valeria are older than her by one and two years. Isabel and Abigail are younger than Hangatu by one and two years. She stands at five feet and seven inches, has a slim thick build, brown skin, dark brown eyes, and black type 3b-3c curly hair, like her father, Fisseha. Hangatu attended Harvard for only a year, then transferred to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro after surviving cancer. She also has eleven and a half ribs due to the cancer affecting the removed portion of one of her ribs. She entered figure skating when she was six years old, and went on hiatus while she was in undergrad. Hangatu graduated from UNCG in May of 2025, then returned to Boston to start law school at Harvard.

Isabel

Isabel was born on June 30, 2005, in Los Angeles, California, as the youngest of five sisters, meaning Isabel is a June cancer, like her father. Natalia, Valeria, Hangatu, and Abigail are older than her by one, two, three, and 4 years. She stands at five feet and 8 inches, being the tallest of her sisters, has brown skin, dark brown eyes, a slim thick build, and black type 3c-4a medium to long curly-coily hair. Isabel is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and majors in psychology. Sometimes, Isabel likes to mess around on Instagram live with her roommate, Nolawit Yonas, and once threw her ass on camera (twerked, for the non-AAVE speakers here), much to Hangatu's, who lived next door at the time, embarrassment and dismay.

Wada Gudisa, the girls' mom

Wada was born on January 7, 1971, in Harar, Ethiopia, as the one of eight sisters, making her a January capricorn. She stands at five feet and six inches, has a slim thick build and dark brown skin, dark brown eyes, and dark chocolate colored type 4a-4b short to medium length coily hair. Wada is a law professor at UCLA and is married to Fisseha Kirkos, who is an IT specialist and the father of their five daughters, Natalia, Valeria, Hangatu, Abigail, and Isabel.

Natalia

Natalia, or Nat, is the oldest of the sisters and was born on January 7, 2001, in Los Angeles, California, making her a January capricorn, like her mother. Nat stands at five feet and five and a half inches, being the shortest of the family, has a skinny build, brown skin, and dark brown eyes and black type 3b-3c curly hair, like her father. Natalia was born on her mother's 30th birthday, and was named after the day she was born, Orthodox Christmas. Natalia graduated from Harvard in 2023, and is currently at Harvard Law, graduating in 2026, before she would take the bar. As a child, Natalia was introduced to figure skating by a classmate, and fell in love with the sport, and three of her younger sisters followed in her footsteps.

Valeria

Valeria was born on April 14, 2002, in Los Angeles, California, making her an April aries. This fireball could give less of a shit about people's distasteful opinions about her, and she proves her worth on the ice. She stands at five feet and seven inches, has a build similar to Serena Williams, and has chocolate brown type 4a-b coily hair, dark brown skin, and dark brown eyes, resembling her own mother. Valeria, like the stereotypical aries that she is, is strongwilled and learned how to fight at a young age. Wada, her mother, likes to joke that she's raising herself when describing Valeria, her second-born. Valeria graduated from Harvard in 2024, and currently is in grad school to become a social worker.

Abigail

Abigail, or Abby, was born on May 21, 2004, in Los Angeles, California, making her a May gemini. She is the only non-skater in this family, and was a competitive dancer up until she graduated from high school in 2022. Abby stands at five feet and six inches and has a slim build, brown skin, black hair and dark brown eyes, like her father. Abigail is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and is a fashion major. Abigail is known in the family to have designed her own competition costumes, as well as her sisters' figure skating dresses for many years. Abby's favorite food is hulbata, or fenugreek-seasoned potatoes, a dish from her mother's native Harar.

Fisseha Kirkos, the girls' dad

Fisseha was born on June 28, 1970, in Ambo, Ethiopia, which is several kilometers north of the Ethiopian capital, as the middle of seven children, making him a June cancer. Him and Wada met in 1991, while they were in their undergrad studies at UCLA. He and Wada are the proud parents of five daughters, four of them being figure skaters, and Abby being a former competitive dancer. Fisseha works in IT and is described to be quite tall, standing at 6 feet and 1 inch, balding, and being of a slim build with dark brown eyes, which is remarkable to maintain since he is literally 55 years old.

Hangatu and Isabel's roasting session