Bonnie Blair won the women's 500-metre speed-skating gold medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics.
Blair represented the United States and successfully defended the Olympic title she had won at Calgary in 1988 and Albertville in 1992. Her Lillehammer victory made her the first speed skater to win the same individual event at three consecutive Olympic Games.
She won both 500-metre races in Lillehammer, which were held over two days under the competition format used at the time. Blair also won the 1,000-metre event, giving her two individual gold medals at those Games.
The 500 metres is one of speed skating's shortest Olympic races, so starts, balance, and acceleration are crucial. Blair retired after the 1994 season as one of the sport's most successful Olympic competitors.