Delafield, WI
Blair Cruikshank grew up in Wisconsin as a competitive gymnast until age 13, and did not start speedskating until age 14. The daughter of five-time Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair and three-time Olympian Dave Cruikshank, who both excelled as sprinters for Team USA in speedskating, Blair said of her parents and their influence on her speedskating: “When I was little, I actually never wanted to put speed skates on, I didn't want to be like my parents. I wanted to be my own person.”
At age 19, Cruikshank was named the 2019 overall junior national champion and competed at three consecutive junior world championships from 2018 to 2020 for Team USA.
After success at the junior level, Cruikshank struggled with hip pain and was diagnosed with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAI), a painful condition that occurs when the ball of the femur (thigh bone) can't move normally in the hip socket, having surgery on her hip in 2020 and missing nearly a year off the track.
