Heiden won the Gold Medal in the 500 m, 1,000 m, 1,500 m, 5,000 m, and 10,000 m, a clean sweep of the five categories that were available at the time. Over his career, Heiden set 15 different records, and despite competing for a relatively brief time, can make a claim as the greatest speed skater of all-time, and if that is not the case, his 1980 Olympics are without question the best ever for his sport. To date, he is still the most decorated athlete in a single Winter Olympics.
He retired from speed skating after the 1980 World Allround and would become a doctor.