On the Record: Feb. 16, 1981

Eric Heiden, 22, does not mince words about his pet peeves. "I hate New York," says the Wisconsin-born Olympic speed skater. "If you don't walk ten miles an hour there, you're run over." Same goes for Manhattan's Central Park: "In Madison, it would be condemned." Nor is the winner of five gold medals fond of being a celebrity: "If I wanted to become famous, I would have stuck to hockey." As for all the commercial offers he rejects: "I don't want to have to go places to keep appointments." But one appointment kept...

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