Eric Heiden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Eric Heiden

Heiden in March 2007
Personal information
Birth name	Eric Arthur Heiden
Born	(1958-06-14) June 14, 1958 (age 67) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Education	Stanford University (BS, MD)
Height	6 ft 0+1/2 in
Weight	185 lb
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Speed skating
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	500 m: 37.63 (1980) 1000 m: 1:13.60 (1980) 1500 m: 1:54.79 (1980) 3000 m: 4:06.47 (1980) 5000 m: 6:59.15 (1979) 10 000 m: 14:28.13 (1980)
Medal record Men's speed skating Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 1980 Lake Placid 500 m Gold 1980 Lake Placid 1000 m Gold 1980 Lake Placid 1500 m Gold 1980 Lake Placid 5000 m Gold 1980 Lake Placid 10000 m World Allround Championships Gold 1977 Heerenveen Allround Gold 1978 Gothenburg Allround Gold 1979 Oslo Allround Silver 1980 Heerenveen Allround World Sprint Championships Gold 1977 Alkmaar Sprint Gold 1978 Lake Placid Sprint Gold 1979 Inzell Sprint Gold 1980 Milwaukee Sprint

Eric Arthur Heiden (born June 14, 1958) is an American doctor and a famous former speed skater. He also competed as a professional cyclist. Eric Heiden is best known for his amazing performance at the 1980 Winter Olympics. He won five gold medals in speed skating, which was a record at the time. He also set four Olympic records and one world record during those Games.

Heiden was the most successful athlete at the 1980 Winter Olympics. He won more gold medals by himself than almost any other country. Only the Soviet Union and East Germany won more. Many people consider him one of the greatest speed skaters ever. He is the only skater to win gold medals in all five speed skating events at a single Olympics. In 1999, he was named one of the 50 greatest athletes of the 20th century by ESPN.

Early Life and Family

Eric Heiden was born in Madison, Wisconsin, on June 14, 1958. His father, Jack Heiden, was an orthopedic surgeon. Eric's sister, Beth Heiden, was also a very talented athlete. She excelled in speed skating, cycling, and cross-country skiing.

In their hometown of Shorewood Hills, Wisconsin, Eric and Beth helped create the Heiden Haus. This was a small building where local kids could warm up after skating or playing hockey. Eric graduated from Madison West High School in 1976. Later, he studied at the University of Wisconsin–Madison before transferring to Stanford University. He earned a science degree in 1984 and a medical degree in 1991.

Amazing Athletic Career

Eric Heiden had an incredible career in two different sports: speed skating and cycling.

Speed Skating Achievements

Heiden started his speed skating journey by winning the World Junior Speed Skating Championships in both 1977 and 1978. Even though his speed skating career was short, it was full of success. He won three World Allround Speed Skating Championships and four World Sprint Speed Skating Championships. He was the youngest athlete to achieve these wins.

Eric Heiden also broke many world records. He set new records three times in the 1000-meter race. He broke the 3000-meter record twice. He also set new world records once each in the 1500-meter and 10000-meter races. He even broke the overall points world records for both allround and sprint distances.

Heiden ended his speed skating career in 1980. He finished second at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen. He was ranked as the top long-track speed skater for a record 1,495 days. He also won the Oscar Mathisen Award four times in a row, from 1977 to 1980. As of 2025, he is still the only skater to have won this award four times.

In 1980, he received the James E. Sullivan Award. This award goes to the best amateur athlete in the United States. In 1983, he was honored by being inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. Heiden was also elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.

World Records Set by Eric Heiden

Eric Heiden set 15 world records during his speed skating career. Here are some of his notable records:

Cycling Career

After his speed skating career, Eric Heiden became a professional cyclist. He was one of the first athletes to switch successfully between two different sports at a high level.

Heiden was a founding member of the 7-Eleven Cycling Team. This team was one of the first European-style sponsored teams for North American riders. Heiden won several professional races in America. He finished the 1985 Giro d'Italia, a major cycling race. He also took part in the 1986 Tour de France, another very famous race. However, he had to leave the Tour de France after a crash.

In 1985, Heiden won the first United States National Road Race Championships. This made him the American road race champion. In 1999, he was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame.

Medical Career

Eric Heiden went to medical school at Stanford University and became a doctor in 1991. He then trained to become an orthopedic surgeon. Orthopedic surgeons are doctors who specialize in bones, joints, and muscles. Heiden practiced as an orthopedic surgeon in Sacramento, California.

He also worked as a team physician for professional sports teams. He helped the NBA's Sacramento Kings and the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. Heiden also served as the team doctor for the U.S. Olympic speed skating team in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. He opened his own sports medicine practice in Murray, Utah, and later expanded it to Park City, Utah.

In 2008, Heiden co-wrote a book called Faster, Better, Stronger. This book is about exercise science and fitness programs. In 2009, Heiden was part of the medical team that helped U.S. speed skater J.R. Celski recover from a serious crash. Thanks to the doctors' help, Celski was able to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics. He won two bronze medals there.

Personal Life

Eric Heiden met his wife, Karen Drews, while they were both studying medicine at Stanford. They got married in 1995. Karen is also a surgeon, specializing in hand surgery. They have a daughter named Zoe, who was born in 2001.

After his amazing success at the 1980 Winter Olympics, Eric Heiden was offered many sponsorship deals. However, he turned down most of them. He said he had enough money and preferred to live a more private life.

In 2002, Heiden was asked to participate in the opening ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. However, he declined because he was not chosen to light the Olympic torch. The honor went to the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team instead. Heiden later explained that he felt they didn't appreciate his contributions as a skater or as a person. He said he didn't mean to disrespect the hockey team.

See also

In Spanish: Eric Heiden para niños

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
• List of Olympic medalist families

Images for kids

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  Heiden in 1977

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  Heiden in 1977

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  Eric and Beth Heiden in 1977 in Alkmaar, the Netherlands

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  Heiden in 1980