| Often the focus of winter sports winners are men, | | | | record for being the only female figure skater to win |
| but there are plenty of woman that have excelled in | | | | three gold medals in three consecutive Winter |
| the various sporting events as well. The top speed | | | | Olympic Games. |
| skater is Bonnie Blair who has amazed crowds for | | | | It is believed she could have continued winning them |
| years with her unbelievable speed and agility. When | | | | but after her gold medal win in 1936 she announced |
| she was only 18 years old she competed in the | | | | she was leaving the Olympics to become a |
| World Cup event. However, this was just the tip of | | | | professional skater. She enjoyed performing in |
| the iceberg for what was to come. | | | | various movies and touring shows that involved ice |
| At the age of 19, Blair competed in the Winter | | | | skating until she died in the late 1960's due to |
| Olympic Games and finished in 8th place. For the next | | | | Leukemia. |
| twelve years which covered three more Winter | | | | In 1960 skier Penny Pitou became the first USA |
| Olympic Games Blair walked away with a total of five | | | | winner of a gold medal in the downhill ski event. This |
| gold medals and one bronze. She holds the record for | | | | was quite a success in 1960 because very few |
| the woman with the most gold medals from the | | | | women were competing in the ski events at the |
| Winter Olympic Games. | | | | Olympic Games at that time. The fact that she was |
| Sonja Henie became the youngest woman to win a | | | | able to walk away with a gold medal in an event that |
| gold medal in the Winter Olympic Games in 1928. She | | | | no male had earned one was an even greater |
| earned the gold medal in the figure skating | | | | accomplishment for women in the USA. She quickly |
| competition This was a title she held until 1998 when | | | | became a role model for girls that wanted to one |
| Tara Lipinski won a gold medal. She was two months | | | | day win an Olympic gold medal. |
| younger than Henie at that time. Henie also holds the | | | | |