Sheila Young facts for kids
Sheila Young in 1975
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| Full name | Sheila Grace Young-Ochowicz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | October 14, 1950 Birmingham, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Height | 1.63 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 59 kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Track cycling, speed skating | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Wolverine Skating Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Sheila Grace Young-Ochowicz (born October 14, 1950) is an amazing American athlete. She was a champion in two different sports: speed skating and track cycling. Sheila won three world titles in each sport. She even won world titles in both sports in the same year, twice! This happened in 1973 and 1976. In 1976, she made history by becoming the first American to win three medals at one Winter Olympics.
Contents
Sheila's Early Life and Family
Sheila Young and her family moved to Detroit, Michigan. She finished high school there in 1968. Sheila was part of the Wolverine Sports Club. This club has helped many athletes become Olympic medalists.
Sports were a big part of Sheila's family. Both her parents competed in cycling and speed skating. They encouraged Sheila and her three brothers and sisters to try these sports too. Sheila's brother, Roger, also became a famous cyclist. He won seven national championships and a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. Roger also competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Sheila's Personal Life
Just before the 1976 Winter Olympics, Sheila announced she was engaged to Jim Ochowicz. Jim was also a cyclist. He competed in the same Summer Olympics as Sheila's brother Roger. Jim and Sheila Ochowicz now live in Palo Alto, California. They have three children: Alex, Elli, and Kate. Their daughter, Elli Ochowicz, followed in her mom's footsteps. She became a speed skater and competed in the Winter Olympics in 2002, 2006, and 2010. Sheila also used to be a physical education teacher at La Entrada Middle School.
Sheila's Amazing Career and Achievements
Sheila Young had her best year in 1976. That year, she won three Olympic speed skating medals: one gold, one silver, and one bronze. She also won a bronze medal at the world allround speed skating championships. Sheila became the world sprint speed skating champion and set three world records. On top of all that, she became the United States sprint track cycling champion and the world track cycling sprint champion!
After her incredible 1976 season, Sheila decided to retire from sports. She and Jim worked for the Lake Placid Olympic Committee. They started their family and moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But in 1981, when she was 31, Sheila decided to come out of retirement. She won two more cycling championships before retiring again in 1982.
Sheila's three Olympic medals in 1976 were a huge deal. She was the first United States athlete to win three medals at one Winter Olympics. Her world sprint speed skating championship in 1973 was also a first for an American female athlete. Winning world championships in two different sports (speed skating and track cycling) in the same year (1973 and 1976) made her a unique athlete. The United States Olympic Committee named her Sportswoman of the Year in both 1976 and 1981. She was honored in the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. Later, she joined the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1988 and the National Speedskating Hall of Fame in 1991.
Speed Skating Success
Sheila competed in the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo. She saw her friends win Olympic medals. Sheila herself finished fourth in the 500 meter race. In 1973, she became the World Sprint Champion. She won this title again in 1975 and 1976. That same year, she set two world records. She was the first woman to skate the 500 meters in less than 42 seconds! In 1975 and 1976, she won bronze medals at the World Allround Championships.
In 1976, just before the Winter Olympics, Sheila made history again. She became the first woman to skate the 500 meters in less than 41 seconds. At the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Sheila won her three medals. She got gold in the 500 meters, setting a new Olympic record. She also won silver in the 1,500 meters and bronze in the 1,000 meters. After the Olympics, she set two more world records before retiring from speed skating. She briefly returned to compete in 1981 and 1982.
World Records in Speed Skating
Sheila Young set five world records during her speed skating career. She was incredibly fast!
- On January 19, 1973, she set a 500 meter record of 41.8 seconds in Davos.
- The next day, she set a sprint combination record of 173.450 points in Davos.
- On January 31, 1976, she broke her own 500 meter record with 40.91 seconds in Davos.
- On March 13, 1976, she set another 500 meter record of 40.68 seconds in Inzell.
- That same day, she set a new sprint combination record of 166.210 points in Inzell.
Track Cycling Triumphs
Sheila Young was the United States sprint champion four times. She won in 1971, 1973, 1976, and 1981. At the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, she won a bronze medal in 1972 and a silver medal in 1982. She became the world sprint champion three times. She won in 1973, breaking the Soviet Union's 15-year winning streak! She also won in 1976 and 1981.
After retiring in 1976, she came back to cycling in 1981. She won another U.S. sprint championship. She also won gold at the world championships in 1981. After winning a silver medal at the 1982 world championship, she retired for good. She chose to focus on being a mom.
If women's cycling had been part of the 1976 Summer Olympics, Sheila might have won medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics in the same year! This is something that Christa Luding-Rothenburger achieved in 1988. Christa was also a world sprint champion in both speed skating and track cycling.
Images for kids
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Sheila Young in 1975
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Sheila Young in 1974
See also
In Spanish: Sheila Young para niños
