Fansided

The greatest Olympic athlete from every U.S. state

By Adam Strangis

16th October 1964: Alfred A Oerter, American winner of the Gold Medal in the Tokyo Olympics 1964 for Discus throwing. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
16th October 1964: Alfred A Oerter, American winner of the Gold Medal in the Tokyo Olympics 1964 for Discus throwing. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) /
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15 Feb 2002: General Motors and film-maker Bud Greenspan honored Eric Heiden, five time gold medalist in speed skating from the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, at the Chevy Hot Zone in Park City, Utah. GM and Greenspan honored Heiden as one of the 10 best Winter Olympians during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. At at ceremony in Heiden’s honor, Greenspan presented an 8-minute film of his achievements. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Elsa /Getty Images
15 Feb 2002: General Motors and film-maker Bud Greenspan honored Eric Heiden, five time gold medalist in speed skating from the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, at the Chevy Hot Zone in Park City, Utah. GM and Greenspan honored Heiden as one of the 10 best Winter Olympians during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. At at ceremony in Heiden’s honor, Greenspan presented an 8-minute film of his achievements. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Elsa /Getty Images /

Wisconsin: Eric Heiden

Sport: Speed Skating

Olympics: Innsbruck 1976 and Lake Placid1980

Apolo Ohno may be the newest great American speed skater, but many consider Eric Heiden to be even better, regardless that his achievements happened almost 40 years ago. It also doesn’t help that his greatest moment in speed skating has largely been overshadowed by “The Miracle on Ice” that happened the same year when the United States hockey team defeating the mighty Russian squad. That should not diminish the scope of Heiden’s incredible Games.

Heiden got his first taste of Olympic action in 1976 when he was just 17 years old. He was unable to bring home any medals during that time but he clearly was ready to make up for it in 1980. Heiden won five gold medals in Lake Placid, a remarkable feat that meant he won more golds than every participating country except for the Soviet Union and East Germany. What is truly incredible is that Heiden swept all five distances in 1980, from the 500-meter all the way up to the 10,000-meter. The vast majority of speed skaters have certain distances that they specialize in. They either excel in the short or the long, but almost never both. Heiden remains the only speed skater to win all five events in a single Olympics. Heiden was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award in 1980, given to the top amateur athlete in the country. 1983 saw Heiden get inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.

His exploits probably could have continued but Heiden chose to pursue competitive cycling, including biking in the 1986 Tour de France.

Honorable Mention: Dan Jansen, speed skating in Calgary 1988, Albertville 1992, Lillehammer 1994

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