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Everyone is in for an extra special treat as speedskating legend, Bonnie Blair, joins Laura for this week\u2019s episode. The first American woman to win five Olympic gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games, Bonnie dominated the sprint events of long track speedskating across three Games. At the time of her induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, she was the most decorated female U.S. Winter Olympian of all time, and was also one of the most decorated female U.S. Olympians in individual events. Today, she shares the stories of her life, career, and achievements in the most open, honest and down to earth way, clearly demonstrating that she is as much a champion off the ice as she is on it.\n\xa0\nIn sharing the story of her life and career from her earliest memories, Bonnie touches upon her many Olympic experiences, as well as her schooling, training, and her stint in track cycle racing. She also details the impact her dad had upon her and her career, the ways in which she handles pressure, her post Olympic competitions, and what life has been like for her and her family during COVID. She finishes up by discussing the dynamic she shares with Laura of being an Olympian parent whose children are pursuing sports, and offering valuable advice for all to take to heart. Entertaining, warm, and thoroughly engaging, Bonnie Blair is a superstar professionally and personally, a shining example of one who has discovered the winning formula in both sport and life.

Episode Highlights:\n\xa0

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• Bonnie\u2019s journey through skating from the very beginning
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• Her \u2018school through the mail\u2019 experience
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• Bonnie\u2019s first Olympic experience
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• Increasing her training diligence and consistency
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• Bonnie\u2019s second Olympics and how they differed from her first
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• Her track cycle racing experience
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• Bonnie\u2019s third Olympics and the years leading to them
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• Her dad and the impact he had upon her career
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• How Bonnie handles pressure
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• Her fourth Olympic Games, her preparation for them, and Dan Jansen\u2019s win
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• Bonnie\u2019s post-Olympics competitions
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• Life for Bonnie and her family during COVID
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• The dynamic of an Olympian parent with their kids who are pursuing sports
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  Quotes:\n\xa0

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  \u201cI was racing at the age of 4.\u201d

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• \u201cShe just won the race and she\u2019s thanking me!\u201d
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• \u201cIt really kind of became a lot about personal best for me, and challenging that clock.\u201d
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• \u201cIt\u2019s funny to see these people we look up to, like fanboying or fangirling other people, too \u2013 it\u2019s awesome.\u201d
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• \u201cWe didn\u2019t have somebody with US Speedskating who was a media person who handled any of this.\u201d
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• \u201cI know what I need to do.\u201d
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• \u201cDoing that thing for the very first time is a very powerful moment.\u201d
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• \u201cWhen they actually announced that the other girl won, I was so relieved.\u201d
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• \u201cI like that you\u2019ve won so many that you don\u2019t know!\u201d
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• \u201cEverybody gets there a different way, and everybody has their own path, and what works for one person doesn\u2019t necessarily work for another.\u201d
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• \u201cHone in on your strengths.\u201d
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• \u201cAll these different coaches really gave me something at a time when I needed it.\u201d
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• \u201cThe only person I can control is me.\u201d
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• \u201cHe\u2019s my younger brother that I never had.\u201d
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• \u201cTo this day, hearing the national anthem has a whole different meaning to me.\u201d
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• \u201cIt ended on a perfect note.\u201d
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• \u201cI did it because I loved it, the challenge of the clock, wanting to be the best that I could be, chasing those personal bests, and to me, you know, that\u2019s kind of what it was all about.\u201d
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• \u201cIt\u2019s fun being a mom of kids that love their sports and are following their own journey.\u201d
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• \u201cWhat I did was stupid crazy\u2026to try to think that you have to live up to something like that\u2026that\u2019s not right.\u201d
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• \u201cIt\u2019s really all about the love of doing something, and then giving it everything you\u2019ve got.\u201d
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Links:\nThe Pursuit of Gold homepage:\xa0 \xa0http://thepursuitofgold.com/\xa0\nMental Training:\xa0 \xa0https://www.laurawilkinson.com/learn\xa0\nLaura\u2019s Social Media:\nInstagram:\xa0 \xa0https://www.instagram.com/lala_the_diver \xa0\nFacebook:\xa0 \xa0https://www.facebook.com/TheLauraWilkinson\xa0\n\xa0\nConnect with Bonnie:\nInstagram: \xa0 https://www.instagram.com/bonnieblairc/?hl=en\nTwitter:\xa0 https://twitter.com/bonnieblair?lang=en