Casey FitzRandolph

American speed skater who won the 2002 Olympic 500m title, becoming the first American to win the event since fellow Wisconsin native Eric Heiden in 1980.

Casey FitzRandolph's 34.42-second run in the 500 meters at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics set an Olympic record that stood for sixteen years and made him the first American to win that event since Eric Heiden's five-gold sweep in 1980. In 1997, he broke Dan Jansen's American records in both the 500m and 1,000m, and went on to win a bronze medal at that year's World Sprint Championships. FitzRandolph made his Olympic debut at the 1998 Nagano Games, becoming the first skater in history to complete the 500m in under 36 seconds at an Olympics. He continued to develop over the following years, winning silver at the 2002 World Sprint Championships in Hamar, Norway, shortly before the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. At the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, FitzRandolph achieved his childhood dream, winning Olympic gold in the 500m with a new Olympic record of 34.42 seconds — a mark that stood until 2018. His victory made him the first American to win the Olympic 500m title since Eric Heiden's sweep of all five events in 1980, with Heiden himself, serving as the team's orthopedist, personally informing FitzRandolph of his win. FitzRandolph competed at a fourth Olympics in Turin in 2006, finishing 12th in the 500m and 9th in the 1,000m, before retiring from competition. A six-time U.S. National Sprint Champion, he remains one of Wisconsin's most celebrated Olympic speed skaters.

Explosive sprint specialist with a powerful start

One of the most successful American sprint speed skaters of the post-Heiden era

• Won Olympic gold in the 500m at Salt Lake City with a new Olympic record (2002)