February 11, 1980
The brother and sister duo – 21-year-old Eric and his sister Beth, 15 months younger – stormed to glory in a Winter Olympic sport usually reserved for European nations, where it’s a way of life, not a costly leisure activity. Eric and Beth Heiden honed their craft and took it to the world’s stage at Lake Placid, with Eric winning five gold medals, one for each speed-skating event he competed in. Beth earned a bronze medal. TIME’s cover story wrote of Eric Heiden’s talent:
“In a sport where victory is usually measured in hundredths of seconds, Heiden outstrips human comparison: he is Secretariat, stronger, faster, possessed of a greater racing heart than has ever been known.”