Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Doan-Lemay Likely Successor To Blair’s Legacy 500-Meter Speedskate Offers Thrill-A-Second

Associated Press

Each second on the scoreboard clock is divided into the tiniest of fractions, flashing orange numbers that vanish almost as quickly as they appear, separating Olympic speedskaters, ultimately deciding winners and losers.

The trick is to save those precious ticks in the corners, on the straightaways and at the finish, and nobody did that better than Bonnie Blair, America’s winningest Winter Olympian.

Blair won five gold medals and a bronze, dominating her sport. Three of the golds were in speedskating’s shortest distance, the 500 meters.

The race lasts little more than 30 seconds, leaving the skaters little margin for error. The first runs of the two-day women’s 500 will be shown as part of CBS-TV’s coverage tonight. Also scheduled is coverage of the women’s downhill with super-G gold-medalist Picabo Street, luge doubles and the ice dancing compulsories.

Blair, now retired, remembers the 500-meter race and what it takes to win it.

“Obviously, the start will be crucial,” she said. “You have to get off to a good start and that means you need a good reaction time. Some people get carried away and want to run. It’s important to be down and skating.

“You’ve got to turn those strokes over fast, keep it long and powerful. That’s where you get the most out of your pushes.

“You can’t lose anything through the turn. Little things can hurt you. There’s not a lot of room for error.

“That last 100 meters can be a long way. You’re so tired by then, you have to work to keep your technique.”

With Blair gone, the 500 favorite is Canadian Catriona Doan-LeMay, who set a world record of 37.55 seconds last December at Calgary, over the same track where Blair won her first gold in an Olympic record 39.19 in 1988.

“A 37-second 500,” Blair said. “She has to be the favorite. I don’t know if anybody can come close to her time.”