Olympic Speed Skating Trials : Bonnie Blair Continues Her Hot Streak on Ice

Bonnie Blair won her seventh straight trial Friday night and qualified for the U.S. Olympic speed skating team in the 1,500 meters.

Also qualifying to make the women’s 1,500-meter field were Leslie Bader of Bridgeport, Conn.; Jan Goldman of Glenview, Ill., and Katie Class of St. Paul, Minn.

Angela Zuckerman of Milwaukee qualified as the alternate, but U.S. Coach Mike Crowe said he would be able to pick only four skaters in that event at Calgary Feb. 13-28 because his 20-member team can have only eight women.

Blair, who earlier in the evening won a 500-meter trial, finished the 1,500 in 2:17.10. The Champaign, Ill., native already is assured of a spot on the team in the 500 meters and 1,000 meters.

Eric Flaim of Pembroke, Mass., who is attempting to qualify for all five of the men’s events, won the 1,500-meter trial in 2:01.52.

Other skaters, in addition to Flaim, who have qualified to make the 1,500-meter field are Dave Silk of Butte, Mont; John Baskfield of Roseville, Minn.; Mark Greenwald of Park Ridge, Ill., and Brian Wanek of of Mequon, Wis. Also qualifying to challenge for a spot in the 1,500 meters was Nick Thometz of Minnetonka, Minn.

Thometz, who was in the hospital last week because of a low blood platelet count, already is on the team in both the 500 meters and 1,000 meters. He had an illness exemption in those shorter races.

But after missing last Friday’s 1,500-meter trial, he needed to skate in Friday’s trial at the same distance. By doing that, Thometz is now eligible to bump one of the other 1,500-meter skaters should he skate better times during World Cup competition next month. Thometz was eighth in the 1,500 meters Friday with a time of 2:08.81.

“I just skated easy. It was just a matter of going out and skating a 1,500,” said Thometz, the world record-holder at 500 meters.

“I don’t see any reason why I can’t be one of the top four.”

Blair skated her slowest 500-meter time in three Olympic trials but still won her third straight race in that event.

Blair finished first in 41.96 seconds. Last weekend, she won 500-meter races in 40.84 and 41.46.

The three best times out of four are used to determine the Olympic 500-meter lineup.

In the men’s 500, Dan Jansen of West Allis, Wis., won his fourth trial in five races with a 38.34-second time. Tom Cushman of St. Paul was second in 38.63 seconds.