Heiden, Eric (1958-…), an American, ranks among the greatest speed skaters in history. At the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, Heiden won all five men’s speed-skating races, one of the greatest achievements in Olympic history. He became the first athlete to win five individual gold medals in one Olympics. Heiden set a world record in winning the 10,000-meter race and Olympic records in winning the 500-meter, 1,000-meter, 1,500-meter, and 5,000-meter races.
Eric Arthur Heiden was born on June 14, 1958, in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1977, he became the first skater to sweep the world junior overall, senior overall, and world sprint championships. He won all three championships again in 1978. He won the world sprint and world overall championships in 1979. Later, he turned to cycling and won the 1985 U.S. men’s professional road racing title.
Heiden retired from skating competition following the 1980 Olympics. He graduated from Stanford University Medical School in 1991 and became an orthopedic surgeon. He also served as the team doctor for United States Olympic speed skaters at the 2002 and 2006 games.
