Heiden, Eric

▪ American athlete

in full  Eric Arthur Heiden 

born June 14, 1958, Madison, Wis., U.S.

      American athlete who at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, U.S., became the first skater to win gold medals in all speed-skating (speed skating) events (500, 1,000, 1,500, 5,000, and 10,000 metres). His performance included a world record in the 10,000-metre event and Olympic records in all five events, cementing his standing as one of the greatest speed skaters in history.

      Heiden started skating soon after learning to walk. His early training involved running, bicycling, and weightlifting. At his first Olympic Winter Games (1976 in Innsbruck, Austria), he placed 7th in the 1,500-metre race and 19th in the 5,000-metre race. In 1977 he became the first American world speed-skating champion and was also overall world junior champion; he also won the world title in 1978 and 1979. Heiden retired from speed skating soon after the 1980 Olympics. He then briefly turned to competitive cycling before entering medical school, eventually becoming an orthopedic surgeon. His younger sister, Beth, was also a world-class speed skater.

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