Blair Goes Out With Flair, Retires On 31st Birthday

They sang “My Bonnie” one last time for American speedskater Bonnie Blair on Saturday as she took a final shot at her world record in the 500 meters and capped off a career for the record books.

She finished well ahead of the pack at 38.87 seconds, just shy of her 38.69 record set here in February.

But Blair achieved her goal going into the weekend invitational tournament of bettering her time in the 1,000 meters. She shaved her U.S. record of 1 minute, 18.31 seconds to 1:18.05.

About 25 family members and friends who made the trek to Calgary’s Olympic Oval sang “Happy Birthday” and “My Bonnie” as the world champion - who turned 31 Saturday - warmed up for the last two races of her career.

After an overdue vacation, Blair plans to take to the motivational speaking circuit and intends to work with young speedskaters in Milwaukee.