With a new world record of 39.1 seconds, Blair became the first American woman since 1976 to win a gold medal in speed skating. 23 Feb. 2023 . She achieved personal bests in all four of her events and recorded the fastest time of any junior in three of them. ", Blair competed as a speed skater one more season following her last Olympic win. She also won two gold medals at the '92 . She won gold at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. "Blair Has a FlairFor Gold." Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 433 Bonnie Blair Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 433 bonnie blair stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Blair took up speed skating when she was two years old, joining a family of avid speed skaters. 5-time Olympic gold medalist speedskater Bonnie Blair Cruikshank is still hitting the ice at 57-years-old. Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speedskater. With family members and dozens of friends, teammates, and fans cheering her on, Blair made her best start ever and zipped through the course in 39.1 seconds, setting a new world record and winning the gold medal. "Blair, Bonnie In 1986, Blair set her first world's record in the 500 meters. Best. And, as she told Barbara Matson in the Boston Globe, "Crossing that [finish] line was the happiest moment of my life.". Bonnie was something of an afterthought in the Blair family scheme, coming 21 years after Chuck, the Blairs' first child, and seven years after Angela, their fifth. [11] Blair had not been not considered a front-runner and later recalled she was happy just to be at the games and see her family in the stands. After being born in Cornwall, N.Y., Blair moved with her family to the Midwest and was raised in Champaign, Ill. She took to speed skating like her older siblings. (People jokingly said her job title was "Girl Friday," which is a reference to a character from Daniel Defoe's 18th century book Robinson Crusoe , because . She would win this championship every year through 1994. [5] She attended Jefferson Middle School and later Centennial High School in Champaign[6] In addition to skating, Blair was also a cheer leader and a member of the student council. Reilly, Rick. The trials were a breeze for her. [34][35] At the 1993 World Sprint Championships, Blair did not win any of her four races finishing behind rival Ye Qiabo. [19] She followed up her World Cup titles in by setting her first world record in the 500 meters with a time 39.43 seconds. As a speed skater, Blair had exemplary technique which contributed to her success. [28] The win made Blair the first U.S. woman to win a world sprint championship in nearly a decade. Blair was also the first American speed skater to win in more than one Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994). She repeated her victories in both 500m and 1000m speed. Sports Illustrated (January 20, 1997): 4. She won a number of races as a child, including the Illinois state championship when she was seven. In fact, Charlie Blair had his children at a competition while his youngest child was being born. Bonnie Blair, in full Bonnie Kathleen Blair, (born March 18, 1964, Cornwall, New York, U.S.), American speed skater who was one of the leading competitors in the sport. Blair told Shannon Brownlee of Sports Illustrated, "Skating is a joy. 1994); Steve Rushin, "Child of Innocence: Bonnie Blair Grew up with the Ideal That CompetingNot Just WinningIs Everything," Sports Illustrated (19 Dec. 1994); and Steve Rushin, "The Last Lap: After Racing to Another World Title, Bonnie Blair Leaves the U.S. Blair was the youngest of six children of Charlie, a civil engineer, and Eleanor Blair, a homemaker. For the American actress Bonnie Blair Brown, see, Early career and first Olympics (19841986), Rise and becoming an Olympic medalist (19871989), List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event, "ESPN Classic - Blair is special but she doesn't know it", "Champaign's Bonnie Blair is, Quite Simply, Just a Good Skate", "Retiring at Top Speed; With Blair, Winning Comes First, Then the Party", "Parkland College Alumni Association - Notable Alumni Stories", "Coach Gets U.s. Speedskating Team Off Thin Ice", "Washingtonpost.com: Blair Wins 1,000, Sets Gold Record for U.S. Women", "Bonnie Blair shares the experience of her first Olympic Games, the ones in Sarajevo - Sarajevo Times", "World Cup Speed Skating: Bonnie Blair Derails East German Sweep", "Short-track Speedskating Long On Thrills", "Biographies & Statistics: 500m Ladies World Record Progression", "Blair, Jansen Top Speed Skaters in 500 for Second Night in Row", "Olympic Speed Skating Trials: Mary Docter Earns Spot on U.S. Recognized as one of track and field history's most accomplished sprinters, Evelyn Ashford is, Moses, Edwin 1955 On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Blair later ran on her high school track team, where, she later claimed, she did not stand out among her peers. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. She entered the Winter Games in Albertville, France, as the favorite in both events. All of Blair's two sisters and three brothers speed skated competitively because of their father. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Blair returned to the Olympics in 1988 competing in long-track at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Imperial Oil Web Site. Bonnie Kathleen Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in the Hudson River town of Cornwall, New York, and grew up in Champaign, Illinois. Bonnie Blair, in full Bonnie Kathleen Blair, (born March 18, 1964, Cornwall, New York, U.S.), American speed skater who was one of the leading competitors in the sport. At the time, Blair trained in both short-track and long-track speed skating. 1. [3] She moved to the Milwaukee area to train with the United States national speed skating team,[7] living with a family friend while she trained. She was the daughter of Charlie and Eleanor Blair, who raised their large Catholic family in Champaign, Illinois. [21][22] Blair was considered a stronger competitor in the shorter distances, where she was seen as the United States' best chance at a gold medal in speed skating. 5-time Olympic gold medalist speedskater Bonnie Blair Cruikshank is still hitting the ice at 57-years-old. Realizing the risk involved in cycling, Blair soon gave up the sport and returned her focus to speed skating. Encyclopedia.com. Bonnie Blair. How many siblings does Bonnie Blair have? Johnson, Anne Janette. She dominated the sprint events at three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994), winning five gold medals and one bronze. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Her retirement from the sport, however, created a void in the talent pool of U.S. speed skaters that would be felt in the years to come. Blair began to succeed on the international speed skating stage. Blair had more success in 1984, making the U.S. women's speed skating team for the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Retton's all . She has also made television commercials for such major corporations as McDonald's and AT&T. Bonnie Blair owns a time-share in the international spotlight: She gets it for two weeks every Olympiad, and then they ask her to leave. Bonnie Elaine Lorenc (born Blair) was born on month day 1925, at birth place, Utah, to Leo Amos Blair and Myrtle Hannah Blair (born Christensen). The . Chambers, 1997. She was the daughter of Charlie and Eleanor Blair, who raised their large Catholic family in Champaign, Illinois. At the 1984 Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina), she could finish no better than eighth in the 500-metre event. She won five gold medals and one bronze over her career. Ye trained by watching tapes of Blair. Background Bonnie Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in Cornwall, New York, United States; the youngest of six children. Bonnie Blair. Bonnie Blair C and 7 others. [50] The pair married in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1996. Blair remained a popular figure in Champaign for many years, and was even given the key to the city. Sports Illustrated (February 17, 1992): 38. She also captured a bronze medal in the 1,000-meter event, becoming the only U.S. athlete to win more than one medal at Calgary. Phillips, Angus. [34] At the 1994, U.S. Olympic long-track trials at the Pettit National Ice Center, Blair set track records in the first round of the 500 meter and 1,000 meter trails. American speed skater Bonnie Blair won six medals competing in three Winter Olympics Games, the second most medals won by a woman in the Winter Olympic Games (the first was Lydia Skoblikova ). 47 No. She was named as the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and the USOC Sportswoman of the Year. [5]:45 Blair also began to pick-up more endorsements, including sports marketing group Advantage International. Longman, Jere. [3] She participated in her first skating meet at age 4. The Champaign police department sponsored a campaign to support "Champaign Policemen's Favorite Speeder," raising $7,000 for Blair so that she could move to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and practice there with other competitive skaters. places to practice were in Europe. Sports Illustrated (March 6, 1989): 32. [3] Early on, Blair competed in "pack style," or short track speed skating, where several skaters race on the ice at once. [10] Later that year, Blair appeared at her first Olympic games at age 19 in Sarajevo. Her unprecedented Olympic success began at the 1988 Calgary Games. As Jere Longman wrote in the New York Times, "Blair has no mountains to climb. She also won two gold medals at the '92 . Speed skater who received Olympic gold medals in 1988, 1992, and 1994. Time (March 7, 1988): 69. Sports Illustrated (January 15, 1990): 92. "Child of innocence." She ran wherever her coach decided he was missing a bodyon the long jump, high jump, short distances, and relays. Though four of Blair's other siblings went on to win national championships, it was Blair who did the best as a competitive speed skater. By the time of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta, Blair was regarded as one of the hopes for the future of American speed skating. She knows just a thing or two about U.S. speed skating and the rise of women's sports. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. [48][49], Blair began dating fellow Olympic speed skater Dave Cruikshank in 1990. In 1982, when Blair was 18 years old, her trainers wanted to take her to Europe to compete outside of the United States for the first time. seventeenth century), https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie, http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/blairbon.shtml, http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0109013.html, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/bonnie-blair, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie, Begins competing as member of national speed skating team, Competes at the Olympic trials, but does not make team, Wins Olympic gold and bronze at Winter Olympic Games, Wins two Olympic golds at Winter Olympic Games, Retires from competitive speed skating; becomes motivational speaker, Marries speed skater Dave Cruikshank on June 23, Won Illinois state championship in speed skating for age group, Won gold medal in Olympics speed skating in 500 meters, Won gold medals in 500 meter and 1000 meter at Olympics in speed skating, Won gold in 500 meters at World Championships, Won gold medals in 500 meters and 1000 meters at Winter Olympic Games in speed skating; won gold in 500 meters and 1000 at World Sprint Championships and World Cup; named Babe Zaharis Female Amateur Athlete of the Year; named Sportswoman of the Year by Women's Sports Foundation, Set 500 meters speed skating world record at Calgary; retired in March as speed skater; named Sportswoman of the Year by Women's Sports Foundation; won world sprint championship, Given Sports Humanitarian Award, World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame. Death: May 16, 1976 (47) Prestonsburg, floyd, Kentucky, United States. [50] Blair and Cruikshank have two children: a son, Grant, and daughter, Blair. Though four of Blair's other siblings went on to win national championships, it was Blair who did the best as a competitive speed skater. Blair's introduction to competitive skating was as a pack racer on short tracks where she competed against many people in one race. Following her retirement from competitive skating, Blair remained extremely active, both in her sport and outside of it. Born in Philadelphia, she was the youngest of six children. She was the youngest of six children. "One-woman ice show." She received help from the local Champaign community. She remained connected to speed skating by serving as a coach and conducting clinics. For example, Blair finished fifth in the 1991 World Sprint Championships, though she was also suffering from bronchitis at the time. Parrish, Paula. She became the first American woman to win five gold Olympic medals and the first American Winter Olympian to win six career medals. She counts herself lucky in being able to maintain such an active retirement, noting that not all Olympic gold medalists have been as fortunate. "Bonnie the blue." She made her competitive cycling debut in June 1989 at the Sundance Juice Sparkler Grand Prix. Phillips, Angus. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning five gold medals and one bronze medal. Facing a Big Chill in Her Sport," Sports Illustrated (27 Feb. 1995). Born in Cornwall, New York on March 18, 1964 as the youngest of six children, her family moved to Champaign, Illinois and Bonnie first donned skates at the age of two and was competing as a speed skater by the age of four. She was the most decorated Winter Olympian in U.S. history when she retired in 1995. And as far as skating goes, she's got a lot of class.". Speed skater Eric Heiden won five gold medals in the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. Blair won the 1000 meter race by only .02 seconds. 9.04M subscribers Subscribe to @olympics: http://oly.ch/Subscribe Highlights as Bonnie Blair takes part in her third Olympic Games. [26], Despite her success at the 1988 Olympics, Blair did not enjoy a windfall from endorsements. "That's not to say I didn't have other great memories," she told Paula Parrish in the Rocky Mountain News, "but I think that had the biggest impact." Bonnie Pointer, a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter who was a founding member of vocal group the Pointer Sisters, has died at the age of 69. Encyclopedia.com. When Bonnie Blair was born on 9 August 1914, in Letcher, Kentucky, United States, her father, William Blair, was 31 and her mother, Delia Pratt, was 35. In winning the 500- and 1,000-meter speed-skating racesgiving her five career gold medals and a bronze, earned over three sets of gamesBlair proved herself to be the greatest female sprint . "Time after time." and its Licensors Despite unfavorable weather conditions at the outdoor rink, Blair won the 500-meter race. Sports Illustrated (December 6, 1987): section 2, p. 10. [27] Holding Blair back from more advertisements was both her choice of sports, which was thought to be less marketable, and ABC's coverage of the games, which failed to resonate with viewers. Of the six, five were gold, making Blair the only American woman to ever win five gold medals in the games. 1. [19] Although Blair was four inches shorter than Enke-Kania, Blair's technique and fast start time made her a formidable competitor. Janofsky, Michael. The Blair Bunch was back even stronger at the 1992 Games in Albertville, France, with about 45 members swaying in unison in their purple team jackets and singing "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." [42] As of 2002, Blair served on U.S. Speedskating's board of directors. [16][10] On the 1985-1986 World Cup Circuit, Blair finished fourth in four distances: the 500 meter, 1,000 meter, and 1,500 meter. She also was a cheerleader and on student council. Blair dedicated her successes in Albertville to the memory of her father, who had died on Christmas Day 1989. She received 5 gold medals and one bronze over her profession. But while skating eventually. Alice Blair, 86, of Tioga, an accounts processor for the Aramark Co. and a caregiver to her older siblings and neighbors, died in her sleep Dec. 17, of complications from dementia at Caring Heart Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Germantown. Join Facebook to connect with Bonnie Blair and others you may know. Blair lost focus for a while after the death of her father on December 25, 1989. [37] Blair's success at Lillehammer placed her among the most decorate American Olympians of all time. "Retiring at Top Speed." Encyclopedia.com. [29] After placing fourth at U.S. Nationals and missing the opportunity to compete at the World Championships, Blair opted to give up competitive cycling and focus solely on speed skating. She was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. [14] After the 1984 Olympics, Blair worked closely with coach Mike Crowe to improve her skating skills to compete with the powerful East German skaters. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. She was the youngest of six children, all of whom learned to skate at an early age. New York Times (February 9, 1987): 166. Bonnie Blair. Many athletes wait too long, until their skills have begun to melt and slide like snow from a roof. "It was a nice ending.". Encyclopedia of World Biography. Blair finished 0.36 seconds ahead of the second best time in the 500 meters. No matter what the competition is, I try to find a goal that day and better that goal. World class track-and-field athlete Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1996. [33] The attempt to compete at her fourth Olympics was not without its challenges; the 1993 season was lackluster for Blair. After the Albertville games ended, Blair again took the opportunity created by her celebrity. There she won two more gold medals, for both the 500-meter and the 1,000-meter races. Realizing that success required both dedication and sacrifice, she gave up her spot on the Centennial High School cheerleading team to focus on skating and competitions. The following summer Blair moved to Butte, Montana, where she enrolled at the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology. Russian speed skater [46] In 2004, she was elected to the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 56 years old? She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. par | Juin 16, 2022 | east bridgewater town election 2021 | valleydale hot dogs | Juin 16, 2022 | east bridgewater town election 2021 | valleydale hot dogs Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speed skater. Blair finished fourth in a national sprint competition for cyclists. Speed skating. Blair continued to serve on the board for U.S. (b. Blair, whose stage and screen career spanned eight decades, died early on Thursday morning. ." Bonnie Blair was born on March 18, 1964 in Cornwall, New York, USA. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. [5]:45 After the Olympics, Blair moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to train at the newly opened Pettit International Ice Center. Sporting News (February 14, 1994): S15. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Priestner had been an Olympic medalist herself, winning silver when she represented Canada at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1976. [12][13] She failed to medal and finished eighth in the 500 meters. Bonnie Blair Olympic Legend - Part 9 - Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Film | Olympic History 22,552 views Jan 7, 2015 99 Dislike Save Olympics 9.04M subscribers Subscribe to @olympics:. She lived up to the hype by winning a gold medal in the 500 meters and a bronze in the 1000 meters. [45] She also was Female Athlete of the Year as selected by the Associated Press in 1994. (She finished fourth in the 1500 meter race.) Bonnie Parker has 2 siblings, a brother, and a sister. While Blair focused on speed skating, she also competed in other sports and activities. When training in Milwaukee, she enrolled at Parkland College but did not graduate. Before American speed skaters Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair raced to fame as Olympic champions, Soviet sp, Ashford, Evelyn She did some television commentary for speed skating. [51][52] Grant Cruikshank played hockey at Colorado College and as of 2021 for the University of Minnesota. ABC-CLIO, 1996. [7][39] Less than a month after Lillehammer Olympics, Blair set another world record in the 500 meters, becoming the first female to complete the race in under 39 seconds, achieving a time of 38.99 seconds. When Derek Parra set a new world record in the men's 1,500-meter speedskating competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics, h, Paavo Nurmi

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