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