Object Details
- Descente
- Descente
- Description (Brief)
- In the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, Eric Heiden (b. 1958 in Madison, Wisconsin) brought home an unprecedented five golds for the United States, setting three Olympic records and two world records in what he termed "The Big Whoopee." Heiden's superior skill and determination inspired a generation of young American skaters. Until Heiden's sweep in 1980, the greatest Olympic speed skaters had been either Norwegian or Dutch. The gold speed skins Eric Heiden wore when he skated to five gold medals in the 1980 Winter Olympics were manufactured by Descente. The skins bore the name of the company on the front of the cap, but Heiden blacked out the name when the company refused to sponsor him.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- Eric Heiden, through Arthur C. Kaminsky
- 1980
- ID Number
- 1982.0469.01
- accession number
- 1982.0469
- catalog number
- 1982.0469.01
- Object Name
- skins, speed skating
- skins, olympics
- Physical Description
- nylon (overall material)
- spandex (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 62 in x 15 in; 157.48 cm x 38.1 cm
- See more items in
- Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
- National Museum of American History
- level of sport
- Olympics
- name of sport
- Speed Skating
- level of sport
- Amateur
- web subject
- Sports
- related event
- Olympic Winter Games: Lake Placid, 1980
- Record ID
- nmah_748902
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-8bcc-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
