European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 15, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Blair pulls Bonnie double by Alan Robinson Albertville France a a Bonnie Good show Bonnie Blair americans one woman Gold mine did it again Friday winning the 1,000-Mcter Speed skating race to become the first . Athlete to strike double Gold in the Winter olympics since Eric Ciden won five golds in 1980. Skating under less than Ideal conditions Blair added the 1,000 Gold to her 500-meter Victory monday a but Only by the slender margin of a skate Blade. She was the first woman to get two Gold medals in the Albertville games and the first american to do it in 40 years or since skier Andrea Mead Lawrence accomplished it in 1952. Blair skating after a weather delay and with a track record already set ripped off a 1 21.90 to Edge China a hard Luck struck be Qia obo by Only .02, less than the time it takes to blink an Eye. Be who lost the 500 Gold to Blair by two tenths of a second following a Lane change mix up took the Silver in 1 21.92. Monique Garbrecht of Germany took the Bronze in 1 22.10. A it Wasny to my Best 1,000 of the season a Blair said. A the last 200 were difficult and tiring. I hoped to win both the 500 and the 1,000 but i knew id be the favorite and it would be Tough. It was very very Blair watched along the track Asye and Garbrecht skated in the same pair. She refused to watch the scoreboard until they a finished. A it was a waiting game a she said. Quot but waiting a part of the game. I wanted to watch the race a then i Blair again cheered by the Flag waving chanting gang of Bonnie boosters nicknamed the Blair Bunch now has won two of the three golds claimed by the . In 1992. She a also won three of the five american golds in the last two olympics neither of which has been a landslide of Gold for the .a. Coincidentally Heiden who set an olympic record that May never be broken by winning All five menus Speed skating races in 1980, watched on from the lbs broadcast Booth As Blair enjoyed yet another olympic Golden moment. A think if it a Heiden said a a she a been competitive for four years. I had to do it Only now she a done it twice. But it was the stars and stripes february 15,1992 c Page 28 close a of so close. Just As in the 500, Blair got off to her customary fast Start ripping off a 30-second Flat split for the first of her 2vi trips around the slow Albertville Oval. Gradually building a Lead Over Germany a Angela Hauck who would finish in 1 24.11, Blair turned it on Down the stretch her face etched in concentration and her eyes focused on the finish line. She did no to blink she did no to Grimace. She just skated. Blair the Toast of Champaign 111., never showed any emotion until she skated nearly Halfway around the track and . Coach Peter Mueller grabbed her in a Bear hug. She peeled Down the Hood of her red White and Blue .a. Skating skin and pumped her arms to the cheers of the Blair Bunch who chanted a do it again a and a go Bonnie she did but Only because yes banned from the 1988 games after the team doctor gave her a steroid derivative a did no to Burn off one of her trademark Blitzkrieg finishes. Be skated in the sixth pair three after Blair. Be bettered Blair a first Lap with a Crisp 29.9, a tenth of a second better than Blair but was hundredths of a second slower getting to the finish line. By such slender margins Are olympic golds won and lost. Be lost the 500 when inexperienced unified team skater Elena touch Nikko a momentarily hesitated before a Lane change costing be valuable milliseconds. Fridays race was delayed for one hour when Spring like 50-Aegree weather formed excess moisture on Albertville a 400-meter outdoor Oval a the third such delay in the five olympic races so far. Bonnie Blair turns in her second Gold medal performance of 1992 on Friday. But unlike thursdays rainstorm that turned the ice into a Mushy Slushy mess for the menus 5,000, the skies were mostly Clear and the ice remained firm after the Sun went Down around race time. The other americans did no to fare Well. Peggy Clasen 22, of Roseville minn., finished 29th in 1 25.31 and Moira do Andrea 23, of Saratoga Springs n.y., was 23rd in 1 26.13. Michelle Kline 23, of Circle Pines minn., was disqualified after interfering with touch Niazova during a crossover. The former soviet skater was allowed to restate against the clock and finished seventh. Inside sports Walker brings fire to bobsled a Page 22 bulls Stampede kicks a Page 25 running res run wild a Page 26 Elliott Earnhardt Roll at Daytona a Page 27 1992 Winter olympic medals through fridays events g s b t Germany 5 6 3 14 Austria 4 5 4 13 unified team 3 3 4 10 France 3 3 1 7 Norway 3 1 2 6 Finland 2 1 2 5 United states 3 0 1 4 Italy 1 2 1 4 China 0 2 0 2 Netherlands 0 1 1 2 Canada 0 0 1 1 Czechoslovakia 0 0 1 1 Japan 0 0 1 1 Sweden 0 0 1 1 Switzerland 0 0 1 1 a Gow a Shver b Bronze. To total finnish teen soars to Gold aps amps does not include demons Lulion sports Albertville France apr a Wispy finnish teenager who has revolutionized ski jumping flew into Winter olympics history Friday As the youngest male Gold medallist Ever. Day 7 of the Albertville games also saw a landmark for Austria and a continuation of Frances medals Bonanza. Relentless Germany overtook Austria for the Overall medals Lead with 14, and held a 5-4 Edge in golds. Austria surpassed its previous All time High of 12 medals at Innsbruck in 1964. But it was deprived a fifth Gold by Toni Nieminen a baby faced 16-year-old who propelled Finland to Victory in team ski jumping with a dramatic last jump. The austrians appeared headed for an easy Victory until Nieminen hailed As the successor to legendary countryman Matti Nykanen took Over. The next to last jumper he gave the 120-meter Hill an intense stare before taking off for a Brilliant jump of 400 feet 2 inches. The competitions final jumper Andreas Felder had a ice melts for . Men a Page 22 Chance to regain the Lead for Austria but managed Only 359-2. Czechoslovakia took the Bronze for its first medal. Nieminen 16 years 259 Days old edged american Billy Fiske who won a Gold in the 1928 games in four Man bobsled by one Day for his place in history. He was 8 when he made his first jump. Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie of Norway was 15 when she won a Gold medal in the 1928 Winter games at St. Moritz Switzerland. Never a Winter sports powerhouse since Jean Claude Killy put his racing skis in storage More than two decades ago the French on Friday tied their second Best medals showing for an entire Winter olympics. They Are just two Short of their Al time Best of nine at Grenoble in 1968. The latest medal was a third Gold and came in a sport Long dominated by the East bloc. French women came from behind to win the 3x7.5-Kilometer biathlon relay a skiing shooting combination through the Woods of Les daisies. Frances Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay received thunderous support Friday night in the ice dancing compulsory is. The world champions finished third in compulsory is not their strength behind two russian couples a Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko and Maia Usova and Alexander Zhuolin a but remained in position to win a top medal monday night. . Champions april Sargent Thom As and Russ Witherby were 10th. With the Duchesnaye and Alpine skiers Franck Piccard and Carole Merle Strong prospects for More medals French fans and olympic organizers were jubilant. Story on Page 22. A a it a a Gre to Success a said Bernard Bourand a French olympic committee spokesman shortly after Frances three woman team out skied the favored germans and unified team for the country a first biathlon medal. There was no French shocker in hockey. The unified team 3-1 i clinched a medals round berth with an 8-0 Laugher Over the Home team 1-3. Switzerland 1-3 beat wingless Norway 6-3. Foggy weather in the Alps Friday delayed the Start of the luge event but did not alter the expected outcome with favored Germany and Italy sweeping the medals. Stefan Krausse Ana Jan Behrendt led a 1-2 German finish. The top . Team Wendel Suckow of Marquette mich., and Bill Tavares of Lake Placid n.y., was ninth equating the highest . Placing Ever. That Means american Slidders matched or bettered the previous . Best in All three luge events. A i set out to tie both the Best american finishes in the olympics and i did that in both singles and doubles a said Suckow 24, who was 12th in singles. A so in a Happy with my first
