Blair began in short-track speed skating, which has a whole pack of skaters
racing around a track. When she was sixteen, she began Olympic style racing,
in which only two skaters are on the track, racing against time rather
than against one another.
In 1982, Blair was advised to compete in Europe to sharpen her skills,
but had difficulty raising money for the trip. The police department of
Champaign, IL, where she was living, held a series of raffles and bake
sales on her behalf, and Jack Sikma of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks donated
$1,500 to the cause. Blair gained much-needed experience in Olympic style
speed skating during her European tour.
Blair won the U. S. indoor title in 1983, 1984, and 1986, and was the North
American indoor champion in 1985. She became a definite Olympic contender
by setting a world record of 39.43 seconds in the 500-meter event at the
1987 worlds. At the 1988 Olympics, Blair set another world record to win
a gold medal in the 500-meter event.
After winning the world over-all sprint title in 1989, she finished second
in 1990 and third in 1991 and entered the 1992 Olympics as a favorite in
the 500-meter and a strong contender in the 1,000-meter. She won both,
becoming the first skater ever to win two consecutive gold medals in the
500-meter sprint, and she received the Sullivan Award as the nation's outstanding
amateur athlete.
The 5-foot-4, 130-pound Blair, described as "disarmingly ebullient" by
one sportswriter, became a favorite with media and fans. Almost always
smiling, she once described herself as a person "who is never really unhappy."
She climaxed her career by winning the world sprint championship and gold
medals in the Olympic 500- and 1,000-meter races in 1994.
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