Blair, Bonnie

Blair, Bonnie

▪ American speed skater
in full  Bonnie Kathleen Blair  
born March 18, 1964, Cornwall, New York, U.S.

      American speed skater who became the most successful American woman athlete in the history of Olympic competition. For eight years she dominated the sprint events in women's speed skating, and, at three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994), she collected five gold medals and one bronze.

      Blair came from a family of avid skaters and began entering races when she was four years old. She first gained acclaim at age 19 by winning the world short-track title in 1986 at Chamonix, France. A year later she twice set a world record for the 500-metre event on the standard circuit. In 1989 she won her first world sprint championship. She again won the world sprint title in 1994, also winning the World Cup 500- and 1,000-metre races that year. She also took these titles in 1995.

      Blair's greatest success came at the Olympics, though she started slowly. At the 1984 Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina), she could finish no better than eighth in the 500-metre event. At the 1988 Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she was a favourite in the sprint events and earned a gold in the 500-metre event and a bronze in the 1,000-metre event. At the 1992 Games in Albertville, France, she captured the gold medal in both the 500- and 1,000-metre competitions, a feat that she repeated at the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

      Although she was small for a speed skater, Blair's technique was nearly flawless. 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.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Blair,Bonnie — Blair, Bonnie. Born 1964. American speed skater who won five Olympic gold medals: three in the 500 meters (1988, 1992, and 1994) and two in the 1,000 meters (1992 and 1994). * * * …   Universalium

  • Blair, Bonnie Kathleen — ▪ 1995       After her career topping performances in 1994, U.S. speed skater Bonnie Blair was hailed as the most successful American woman in Olympic Games history. At 19 she first gained acclaim by winning the world overall short track title in …   Universalium

  • Bonnie Blair — (* 18. März 1964 in Cornwall, New York) ist eine ehemalige US amerikanische Eisschnellläuferin. Werdegang Bonnie Blair ist mit fünf Goldmedaillen bei Olympischen Spielen eine der erfolgreichsten Eisschnellläuferinnen der Geschichte. Blair gewann… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bonnie Kathleen Blair — Bonnie Blair (* 18. März 1964 in Cornwall, New York) ist eine ehemalige US amerikanische Eisschnellläuferin. Sie ist mit fünf Goldmedaillen bei Olympischen Spielen eine der erfolgreichsten Eisschnellläuferinnen der Geschichte. Blair gewann bei… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bonnie Blair — Bonnie Blair, née le 18 mars 1964 à Cornwall est une ancienne patineuse de vitesse américaine qui a gagné cinq titre olympiques en 1988, 1992 et 1994. Palmarès Jeux olympiques …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Blair — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Blair puede referirse a: Tony Blair Ian Blair Bonnie Blair Linda Blair Port Blair Blair House Obtenido de Blair Categoría: Wikipedia:Desambiguación …   Wikipedia Español

  • Bonnie Blair — Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964 in Cornwall, New York) is a retired American speedskater. One of the top female skaters of her time, and one of the most decorated female athletes in Olympic history, Blair competed for the United States …   Wikipedia

  • Bonnie Blair — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Bonnie Kathleen Blair (nacida el 8 de marzo de 1964 en Cornwall, Nueva York) fue una de las mejores patinadoras de velocidad de su tiempo y una de las atletas más condecoradas en la historia de los Juegos Olímpicos.… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Blair — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Inhaltsverzeichnis A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A Archibald …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Blair Atholl — (from the Scottish Gaelic: Blàr Athall ) is a small town in Perthshire, Scotland, built about the confluence of the Rivers Tilt and Garry in one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the Grampian Mountains. The Gaelic place name Blair,… …   Wikipedia

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