X-Nico

7 unusual facts about 1980 Winter Olympics


1979–80 New York Islanders season

Contributions from new teammates, such as wingers Duane Sutter and Anders Kallur and stay-at-home defensemen Gord Lane and Ken Morrow (the latter fresh off a gold medal win at the 1980 Olympics), also figured prominently in the Islanders' playoff success.

1980 Olympics

The 1980 Winter Olympics, which were held in Lake Placid, New York, United States

Black Mountain of Maine

The cross-country trails were designed by Rumford native and two-time Olympian Chummy Broomhall, who also designed the cross country trails for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California and the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York.

China at the 1952 Summer Olympics

The issue was resolved in November 1979, and the People's Republic of China participated in the 1980 Winter Olympics—their first appearance since the 1952 Games.

Give It All You Got

The song was originally featured as the official theme of the 1980 Winter Olympics, held in Lake Placid, New York.

New York State Route 86

As Main, NY 86 runs through the village and along Mirror Lake as the major tourist thoroughfare, passing numerous businesses and the sites of the 1936 and 1980 Winter Olympics.

Richard Mock

Mock was named the official portrait painter of the 1980 Olympics.


Biathlon at the Winter Olympics

At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, the men's 4×7.5 km relay debuted, followed by the 10 km sprint event at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

Brock Nelson

Nelson comes from a hockey-rich family, as his uncle Dave Christian was on the 1980 United States Miracle on Ice gold medal team, and his grandfather, Bill Christian, and great uncle, Roger Christian, were both on the 1960 United States gold medal team and founded Christian Hockey Sticks.

Dave Tyler

He was part of the 1980 Olympic delegation at Lake Placid, and escorted the Japanese team into the Olympic Village.

Dianne Holum

The following year, she began her career as a coach, helping put a 14-year-old Eric Heiden on the road to the 1980 Winter Olympics, where he won five gold medals.

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1970

This was the first championships that timed the results in hundredths of a second, a practice that continued until the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid when Sweden's Thomas Wassberg edged out Finland's Juha Mieto by 0.01 seconds in the men's 15 km event.

Giulio Capitanio

Competing in three Winter Olympics in the 4 x 10 km relay, he earned his best finish of sixth at Lake Placid, New York in 1980.

Hans Estner

Hans Estner (born 7 April 1951 in Tegernsee) is a West German former biathlete who competed in the 1980 Winter Olympics where he won a bronze medal in the 4x7.5 km relay.

Hirokazu Yagi

His best known finish was a Silver Medal in the Individual Normal Hill at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, (Tied with Manfred Deckert of East Germany).

Ingrīda Amantova

Competing in two Winter Olympics, she won the bronze medal in the women's singles event at Lake Placid, New York in 1980 and finished fourth in the same event at the following Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.

Kay Stenshjemmet

At the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, Stenshjemmet won silver on the 1500 m and on the 5000 m, both behind Eric Heiden.

Kirstin Cairns

Kirstin Cairns (born 11 January 1963 in Isle of Bute) is a British former alpine skier who competed in the 1980 Winter Olympics and in the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Manfred Deckert

Deckert represented Klingenthal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York winning a silver medal in the normal hill competition (Tied with Hirokazu Yagi of Japan.).

North Elba, New York

The town and its village, Lake Placid, were the site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.

Oloph Granath

Karl Oloph Granath (born October 17, 1951 in Kolsva) is a former ice speed skater from Sweden, who represented his native country at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States.

Peter Gschnitzer

He won the silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

Piet Kleine

Kleine participated again in the Winter Olympics of Lake Placid (1980), winning Olympic silver on the 10,000 m behind Eric Heiden.

Ron Reusch

For CTV, he covered the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York (ice hockey), the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta (ice hockey), the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain (baseball), and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway (speed skating).

Thomas G. Osenton

Osenton was press chief for ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, and directed the press operations for the tournament that resulted in the 1980 U.S. Hockey team's Gold medal Miracle on Ice.

Yevgeny Kulikov

As the defending 500 m Olympic Champion and world record holder, he won silver at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, being beaten by Eric Heiden.


see also

Chile at the 1984 Winter Olympics

Chile competed at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia after missing the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Olympic Sports Complex

Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex in the United States, created following the 1980 Winter Olympics