Bonnie Blair is an acclaimed Olympic speedskater and most decorated female U.S. Winter Olympian of all time.

She won five Olympic gold medals and one Olympic bronze medal.

Her family, called the “Blair Bunch,” were critical to her success, nurturing her love of the sport and enthusiastically attending the Olympic games to cheer her to victory.

“He was the one that put that little idea in that young girl’s head that I could go to the Olympics.”

Bonnie Blair regarding her father, from Words of Olympians.

Early Life

Bonnie Blair was born on March 18, 1964, to Charlie and Eleanor Blair in Cornwall, New York. She was the youngest of six children, all of whom competed in speedskating. As soon as Bonnie was able to walk, her siblings fashioned a pair of skates to fit over her tiny shoes. She competed in her first match when she was just four years old. After high school, she moved to Milwaukee to train with the U.S. national speedskating team. Blair would become the most decorated female U.S. Winter Olympian of all time, with five Olympic gold medals and one Olympic bronze medal.

1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Bosnia

Blair was just 19 when she traveled to Sarajevo for her Winter Olympics debut. She recalls her first experience filled with excitement and awe:

“It’s kind of like being that kid in a candy store. You can’t believe you’re here; this is unbelievable, just total excitement and thrill with everything that went with the games... It was just so overwhelming to think, ‘Okay, the whole world is watching this!’”
Blair in Interview with Olympics.com

She competed in one event, the 500-meter race. Before the race, her personal goal was to finish close to the top ten. She finished eighth, much to her surprise:

“If you would have seen me cross the finish line, you probably would have thought I won because I was so excited with the result that I had that it was way above my expectations.” 
Blair in Interview with Olympics.com

1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta

At the age of 23, Blair won an Olympic gold medal and set a world record in the 500-meter race. During that year’s closing ceremony, Blair had the honor of serving as the American flag bearer as she was the American to win multiple Olympic medals during the games in Calgary.

The 1988 Olympics was also the beginning of the “Blair Bunch”, a growing group of Blair’s family that would travel across the world to see Blair compete. At the Calgary games, 30 members of her family were in attendance, sporting matching jackets and supporting Blair throughout the Olympics.

1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France

In 1992, Blair won Olympic gold in both the 500- and 1,000-meter races. This was the first time that a female speedskater had successfully defended her Olympic gold in the 500-meter race. In France, Blair’s Bunch boasted 40 members, but they had lost an important spectator: Blair’s father, who had died due to lung cancer shortly following the 1988 games. She dedicated her medals in Albertville to his memory as a gesture to his lifelong support of her craft:

“He was the one that put that little idea in that young girl’s head that I could go to the Olympics.” 
Blair regarding her father, from Words of Olympians 

1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway

 Figure 1. Bonnie Blair competing. 

In her final Olympics, Blair won the gold medals again for the 500- and 1,000-meter races,  becoming the first Winter Olympian to win three Olympic gold medals in a row in the same event. At the 1994 Winter Olympics, Blair’s 1.38-second margin victory in the 1,000 meters was the largest in Olympic history.  

“Her long strides make her the best technician in the world over the sprint distance, man or woman...She’s really dynamic; she gets everything out of her stroke. It’s like she was born on ice.”
U.S. Coach Peter Mueller, the 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the 1,000 meters. 

Sixty members of Bonnie Blair’s “Bunch” showed up for her final Winter Olympics. Following her 500-meter race, she climbed over the barriers to sit with her family while the other competitors raced. As she stood on the podium for the last time, she experienced a wave of emotions at the end of her storied Olympics career:

“I guess I really didn’t think about the 1000m thinking ‘this is my last Olympic race,’ but when I did think about it being the end of my Olympics...hearing the National Anthem thinking ‘I’m never going to be able to hear the National Anthem quite like the way that I’m hearing it right now.’”
Blair in 1994 Olympics Documentary

 Figure 2. Bonnie Blair Skating at Lillehammer, 1994. 

Later Work and Advocacy

Figure 3. Blair (right) with family.

Blair has retired from competitive skating but remains involved in Olympics Winter Games as torch bearer in 2002 and a member of the U.S. delegation in 2014. She now works as a public speaker regarding her Olympic experiences. She remains the most decorated female U.S. Winter Olympian in history and has been honored by the Wisconsin Athletic and U.S. Olympic Halls of Fame. She married fellow speedskater Dave Cruikshank in 1996. The couple have two children: Grant, who plays hockey, and Blair, who also competes in speedskating. Her family continues to be at the center of everything she does.