Speed skater who received Olympic gold medals in 1988, 1992, and 1994. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Bonnie Blair | YourDictionary 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). Death: May 16, 1976 (47) Prestonsburg, floyd, Kentucky, United States. In 1986 the International Olympic Committee decided to alternate the Summer and Winter Games every two years, moving the 1996 Winter Games to 1994. Jenkins, Sally. At the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, Blair again won both the 500- and 1,000-meter races. 47 No. There she won her first Olympic gold medal in the 500 meters and a bronze medal in the 1,000 meter. Bonnie Blair - Daily Dose of Sports One of Blair's most influential coaches was Cathy Priestner (later known as Cathy Priestner-Allinger when she married Todd Allinger in 1986). They are: dedication, balance, risk, and love. When she was attending Centennial High School, she competed in track and field events, including 100 meter to 800 meter races, long jump, and triple jump. places to practice were in Europe. "Blair, Bonnie Johnson, Anne Janette. Bonnie's Bounty - Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com Janofsky, Michael. [1] Her godmother is Canadian speed skater Cathy Priestner. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie, "Blair, Bonnie Now a world-class speed skater, Blair went on to set a world speed skating record in 1987, racing 500 meters in 39.43 seconds. Professionally, Charlie Blair was an engineer while Eleanor Blair worked in real estate. Most of all, she told Karen Rosen in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution in 1998, "I'm really grateful for VCRs so I can go back and relive it. Bonnie worked at the Sleezer Home in Freeport until retirement in 2016. Christensen, Karen, et al., eds. Bonnie Kathleen Blair is the most decorated woman in Winter Olympic history. private siblings' names; private children's names (1) spouse's name and marriage information; Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie. Cycling became part of Blair's speed skating training as both sports utilized the same muscle groups. 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. During her gold medal-winning race, she also set a world's record with a time of 39.1 seconds. To win the 500-meter event, Blair beat Chinese skater Ye Qiaobo by 18 hundredths of a second. Blair had more success in 1984, making the U.S. women's speed skating team for the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Great Women in Sports. [34][35] At the 1993 World Sprint Championships, Blair did not win any of her four races finishing behind rival Ye Qiabo. Parry, Melanie, ed. Bonnie Blair Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images "Blair, Bonnie [2][25] Blair's third and final event of the 1988 Winter Olympics was the 1,500 meters, in which she placed fourth. Bonnie Parker, outlaw partner of Clyde Barrow, was born at Rowena, Texas, on October 1, 1910, to Henry and Emma Parker. 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 the 1989 World Championship, setting a new world record in the overall event; finished second in 1990; and placed fifth in 1991, her worst finish in six years. Blair came from a family of avid skaters and began entering races when she was four years old. 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. [28], Following the 1988 Olympics, Blair also tried track cycle racing, and was coached by former speed skater and cycling world champion Connie Paraskevin. Wife of William Edgar Blair. . [46] In 2004, she was elected to the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. Though Blair trained for the Olympics like they were any other meet, she dominated the trials in the 500, 1000, and 1500 meter races. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning five gold medals and one bronze medal. Priestner profoundly affected Blair's direction as a speed skater. Washington Post (February 11, 1994): H5. [51][52] Grant Cruikshank played hockey at Colorado College and as of 2021 for the University of Minnesota. She was considered the best American hope for a medal, and did not disappoint. Phillips, Angus. "Bonnie the blue." She was a member of four U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Teams, winner of five Olympic gold medals between 1988 and 1994 . American speed skater Bonnie Blairwas born on the 18 March 1953in Cornwall, New Yorkto Eleanor and Charlie Blair. She remained connected to speed skating by serving as a coach and conducting clinics. [8] Blair took classes at Parkland College, although college classes were less of a priority than training and she did not receive a degree. https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie, Petruso, A. She first gained acclaim by winning the world short-track title in 1986 at Chamonix, France. [4] At age 7, Blair won her age group at the Illinois Speed Skating Championship. Winter Olympics Memorable Moments: Bonnie Blair - InfoPlease Sports Illustrated for Women, February 2002. [37] In addition to the 500 and 1,000 meters races, Blair also competing in the 1,500 meter distance missing the podium with a fourth place finish. Bonnie Blair. Her 1.38 second margin in the 1,000 meters race is the largest margin of victory in the history of the event. Blair trained every morning before school and her discipline paid off; at age fifteen she qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials, but narrowly missed making the team. She hired a different coach, Nick Thometz, who emphasized something different for Blair: explosive drills over strength and distance training. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. The year following her return from Europe, she won the 1983 U.S. indoor speed skating championship, a title she won again in 1984. 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. At the Olympics, Blair was cheered on by her large extended family, including her parents, her brother Chuck, her sister Mary, along with Mary's husband and children, her sister Susie, her brother Rob and his wife and child, her sister Angela, and her uncle Lennie, along with the friends of all of her family members. American track and field athlete View the profiles of people named Bonnie Blair. Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in Cornwall, New York, the youngest of six children. When Bonnie was still an infant, Charlie, who called the new baby "missy" because the pregnancy was a mistake, took a new job and moved the family to Champaign, Illinois, then considered a mecca for speedskating. Speed skater Eric Heiden won five gold medals in the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. Her stellar performance at the 1992 Olympics also earned Blair the Sullivan Award as the Best Amateur Athlete in the United States. [5]:45 Blair also began to pick-up more endorsements, including sports marketing group Advantage International. At the beginning of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Blair again took the spotlight when she became the last torchbearer on the Wisconsin segment of the Olympic torch run in January. Priestner had been an Olympic medalist herself, winning silver when she represented Canada at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1976. Jeansonne, John. She dominated the sprint events at three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994), winning five gold medals and one bronze. Blair, whose stage and screen career spanned eight decades, died early on Thursday morning. [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. The results were impressive. Thus, the next Winter Games would be held in February 1994. All Rights Reserved 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. Bonnie Pointer, Founding Member Of The Pointer Sisters, Dead At 69 Bonnie Kathleen Blair She was an exceptionally consistent skater, able to maintain an accentuated crouch and a smooth rhythm in her strides throughout a race, while other skaters typically lost time to momentary lapses in their technique. Though she did well at the meet, she did not make the team. In 1985, Blair won the North American indoor speed skating championship, and in 1986, she again won the U.S. indoor title. 5", "Bonnie Blair: Biography from Answers.com", "Thanks to CC hockey for a memorable 3", "Wisconsin GOP lawmakers propose banning transgender athletes from women's sports", World Champions in Short Track Speed Skating Women's Overall, Olympic champions in women's 500 m speed skating, Olympic champions in women's 1000 m speed skating, World champions in women's sprint speed skating, Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, United States women's national soccer team, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bonnie_Blair&oldid=1132850666, Speed skaters at the 1984 Winter Olympics, Speed skaters at the 1988 Winter Olympics, Speed skaters at the 1992 Winter Olympics, Speed skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in speed skating, Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in speed skating, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 10 January 2023, at 22:20. Notable Sports Figures. Blair also won the World Cup points championship 11 times. In her teens, Blair began to apply herself to the sport of speed skating as she never had before, largely at the encouragement of her friend Dave Silk, who competed on the men's U.S. team. Encyclopedia.com. Blair dedicated her gold medal to her father, Charlie, who had died from lung cancer two years earlier. 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. [5]:44 The breathing problem lingered through the 1991 World Sprint Championships where she finished fifth. Her life has been a furious blur of flashing blades,. Learn How rich is She in this year and how She spends money? Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Bonnie Blair - Wikipedia [39] On March 18, 1995, she retired. Since her retirement from competition in 1995 at the age of 31, she has turned her stellar Olympic performances into a successful career as a motivational speaker and corporate spokesperson. Blair also continued to improve her already great technique. "I just thought it was the right time," she said of her retirement to She won five gold medals and one bronze over her career. "I'm like, 'She's my mom.' It's never really a thought, and I guess I won't ever really . Four of her siblings would hold speedskating titles. 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 . Alice Blair, an accounts processor and caregiver to siblings and Bonnie Blair of Champaign, IL, races in the women's 500 meter speed skating event at Hamar Olympic Hall in Hamar, Norway, Saturday, February 19, 1994. These dramatic accomplishments earned her the 1992 Sullivan Award as the nation's leading amateur athlete and the 1992 U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Sportswoman of the Year Award. 10 Things You May Not Know About Bonnie and Clyde - HISTORY ", Blair competed as a speed skater one more season following her last Olympic win. We can also contact her at bonnie.hoellein@gmail.com for more information. Priestner had Blair train in the Olympic style on both short and long-track races. Reilly, Rick. ." 1. During this last season, she shattered her world record time for the 500-meter sprint twice. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Bonnie Hoellein-Bio, Age, Net Worth, Height, Nationality, Facts [37] By 1994, Blair's hometown of Champaign had renamed one of its streets Bonnie Blair Drive. International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports. [43] As of 2018, Blair serves on the board of the Pettit National Ice Center. Bonnie Blair | Encyclopedia.com After fellow speed skater Johann Olav Koss founded Right to Play in 2000, he recruited Blair to serve as one of the charities first celebrity ambassadors. Blair's athletic achievements, combined with her friendly, down-to-earth manner, earned her recognition from journalists as an "All-American girl." Blair won her first gold medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics held in Calgary, Canada. I don't see any torture in this at all.". Sports Illustrated (February 17, 1992): 38. [5]:45, Back in 1986, the International Olympic Committee voted to stage the Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics in alternating four year cycles. team. 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. Famous family following newly signed forward Grant Cruikshank to 2. [4] At age 15, Blair tried out for the national team, earning a spot on her first attempt. Atlanta Journal and Constitution, February 9, 1998. [2][4] She completed her high school diploma through the mail in 1982. Her win in the 500-meter event broke the world record, which had been set only minutes before by the East German skater Christa Rothenburger. 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. [26] Blair again won gold in the 500 meters, becoming the first woman to win the event in back to back Olympics, with a time of 40.33 seconds. Blair made her Olympic debut in Sarajevo in 1984 where she finished eighth in the 500 meters. Her final, record-breaking time for the 500-meter sprint was 38.99 seconds. Background Bonnie Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in Cornwall, New York, United States; the youngest of six children. Genealogy profile for Bonnie Elaine BlaIr Bonnie Elaine BlaIr (1925 - 2016) - Genealogy Genealogy for Bonnie Elaine BlaIr (1925 - 2016) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. (With Greg Brown) A Winning Edge, Taylor, 1996. (February 23, 2023). How many siblings did bonnie Parker have? Wolff, Alexander. Before American speed skaters Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair raced to fame as Olympic champions, Soviet sp, Ashford, Evelyn By those 10 1/2 inches, 23-year-old Bonnie Blair did what Mary Lou Retton didn't have the chance to do in gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles: defeat the world's best. "Introspective Blair Rebuffs Outside World in Pursuit of Gold." She entered her first competition at age four and won her first race at age seven. She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history.
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