Bonnie Blair

     Bonnie Blair was born in New York and raised in Illinois, but she adopted Wisconsin as her home when she started to train in speedskating at the West Allis oval. Blair went on to a 10-year career in the sport. She won five gold medals and a bronze to rank her at the time at the top of American female Olympians.
     Blair was the first American to win gold medals in three consecutive Olympics. She became the first woman to break the 39 seconds barrier in the 500. She set an American record in the 1,000 meters in her last race, at the age of 31. For her efforts, Blair was awarded the prestigious Sullivan award in 1992 as the top U.S. amateur athlete.
     After her retirement from speedskating, she married Olympic teammate Dave Cruikshank and settled in Wisconsin. She served as a motivational speaker and donated time to a variety of charities through the Bonnie Blair Charitable Fund.