Eric Heiden

Eric Arthur Heiden ( born June 15, 1958 in Madison, Wisconsin ) is a former American professional skater. With five wins and three Olympic titles in the all-around world championships, he is one of the most successful skaters in history.

Career

Eric Heiden is considered one of the most versatile speed skater in the history of speed skating. It was 1977 in Heerenveen as the first American all-around world champion in speed skating. He defended that title in 1978 in Gothenburg and in 1979 in Oslo. In these three years, and in 1980 he was also victorious at the Speed ​​Skating Sprint World Championships.

However, the greatest fame owes pagans of his participation in the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid. As the only male participants of the story, he succeeded there, winning all five to be awarded gold medals in speed skating. He won over 500 meters, 1000 meters, 1500 meters, 5000 meters and 10,000 meters. Nations, making it the most successful athlete of the Olympic Winter Games and the most successful athlete at a single event by Winter Games ever. With five gold medals Gentiles as a whole is the second most successful male skater of Olympic history after Clas Thunberg. Heiden's sister Beth Heiden won a bronze medal at the same games. In order for the family Gentiles won half of all Medals won the U.S. in these Winter Games. Eric Heiden also performed the Olympic oath at these Olympic games.

Nations led to the nobility calendar for 1495 days and won four times the Oscar Mathisen Memorial Trophy, more often than any other. He ran eight world records.

Heiden, who was famous for the diameter of his thighs, proved even after his career his versatility. In 1985 he was U.S. champion in the road race and took the 7-Eleven team participating in the Tour de France in 1986 but had to retire due to consequences of falls after the 18th stage.

Gentiles now works as a sports orthopedic surgeon in the United States. In this capacity he oversaw the U.S. speed skating team at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Personal Best

¹ = world record at the time of the run

Honors

  • Oscar Mathisen Memorial Trophy 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
  • James E. Sullivan Award 1980
  • World Sportsman of the Year ( L' Équipe ) 1980
  • Inclusion in the "United States Olympic Hall of Fame" in 1983
  • Inclusion in the " Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame " 1990
Winter Olympic Games World All-Round Speed Skating Championships World Sprint Speed Skating Championships Madison (Wisconsin) List of Olympic medalists in speed skating List of multiple Winter Olympic medalists Adelskalender (skating) 1986 Tour de France Davos Inzell Lake Placid, New York Julius Skutnabb Irving Jaffee Hjalmar Andersen Knut Johannesen Jonny Nilsson Piet Kleine Igor Malkov Tomas Gustafson Bart Veldkamp Johann Olav Koss Gianni Romme Jochem Uytdehaage Bob de Jong Jorrit Bergsma Boris Shilkov Fred Anton Maier Geir Karlstad Chad Hedrick Sven Kramer Jack Shea Charles Mathiesen Yuri Mikhaylov Roald Aas Ants Antson Derek Parra Enrico Fabris Mark Tuitert Nikolay Gulyayev Olaf Zinke Dan Jansen Ids Postma Gerard van Velde Shani Davis Stefan Groothuis Charles Jewtraw Bernt Evensen Finn Helgesen Ken Henry (speed skater) Terry McDermott (speed skater) Erhard Keller Uwe-Jens Mey Hiroyasu Shimizu Casey FitzRandolph Joey Cheek Michel Mulder Jaap Eden Jack McCulloch Sigurd Mathisen Coen de Koning Roald Larsen Michael Staksrud Hans Engnestangen Birger Wasenius Lassi Parkkinen Odd Lundberg Oleg Goncharenko Henk van der Grift Per Ivar Moe Harm Kuipers Hilbert van der Duim Hein Vergeer Eric Flaim Leo Visser Roberto Sighel Falko Zandstra Rintje Ritsma Magne Thomassen Hans van Helden Michael Hadschieff Tom Schuler Ron Kiefel Davis Phinney Lance Armstrong Steve Hegg Fred Rodriguez Chann McRae Mark McCormack (cyclist) Chris Wherry Tyler Hamilton Ben King (cyclist) Matthew Busche Timmy Duggan
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