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Bonnie Blair
- Most decorated U.S. woman in winter Olympic history
- Won two gold medals (500m, 1,000m) at both 1992 and 1994 Olympic Winter Games
- Earned a gold (500m) and bronze (1,000m) at the 1988 Games
- First American to win gold medals in three consecutive Olympics
- Only U.S. Olympian to win gold medal in same event at three straight Olympics
- Husband, Dave Cruikshank, also was an Olympic speed skater (short track)
- Sports Illustrated's 1994 Sportsperson of the Year
- In 1992, she became just the third winter sports athlete to win the Sullivan Award, given to the top amateur American athlete. The other two were Dick Button (1948) and Eric Heiden (1980).
- Became only the second American to win the Oscar, a Norwegian award given to the world's best speed skater. Heiden (1980) was the only other American to win the award.
- Retired from competitive speed skating in 1995
- Youngest of six children, she grew up in Champaign, Ill.
- Named 69th greatest athlete of the century by ESPN
- Now earns a living as a motivational speaker to corporations and associations
- Donates her time to a variety of charities that she organizes through the Bonnie Blair Charitable Fund
Speed skating was the center of the Blair family's attention while the six children were growing up. In fact, while Bonnie was being born, her father, Charlie, took the other five children to a skating meet. The family learned of her birth at the meet when it was announced over the public address system.
Related Links
Photo gallery: Olympic speedskating champion Bonnie Blair
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Born: 3/18/1964
Hometown: Champaign, Ill.
Resides: Milwaukee, Wis.
Sport: Speed Skating
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