Bonnie Blair

Bonnie Blair, born in 1964, American ice skater, the most successful women's speed skater in the history of the United States. Blair won one gold medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; two gold medals at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France; and two gold medals at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

Born in Cornwall, New York, Bonnie Kathleen Blair grew up in Champaign, Illinois, the youngest of six children, all of whom skated competitively. Nationally ranked before she was 16 years old, she improved her performance by training in Europe and then made the 1984 Olympic team. Intensive training over the next few years improved her times, and she set a number of world records.

Blair was the favorite in the 500-m (547-yd) race at the Calgary Olympics and won the gold medal with a time of 39.1 seconds. She also won a bronze medal in the 1000-m (1093-yd) race, becoming the only American to win more than one medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Blair demonstrated her ability to skate under pressure at the 1992 games, when she repeated her triumph in the 500-m race and won the l000-m race by only two-hundredths of a second. She repeated her Olympic success in 1994, winning the gold medal in both the 500-m and 1000-m races. Blair's five gold medals are the most for any American female Olympic athlete. Blair retired from competitive speed skating in 1995.