Connie Paraskevin-Young makes things happen. Not just a spunky girl with strong legs who became a five-time Olympian in two sports, her strong will made her decide on an athletic career, and strong drive took her to the top—for over 20 years.

With that decisiveness and a strategy, after competing as an Olympic speedskater and winning a World Championship medal, Paraskevin-Young opted to switch to track cycling—before it was a women’s Olympic sport. She competed against men and lobbied to add women’s sprint cycling to the 1988 Olympics—where she handily took the bronze medal.

Need more inspiration? It was no easy ride to the top for Paraskevin-Young. She overcame health obstacles—injuries to her knees, hand and ankle and endured severe, debilitating headaches, toughing it out, continually achieving her personal best.

Fierce in her efforts, Paraskevin-Young savors the victory of an all-out fight in a tough race over an easy win. Though competitive to the bone, she still has compassion, encouraging peers and competitors alike.

Post-Olympic competition, Paraskevin-Young the athlete, shifted gears readily into a mobile marketing agent. She attracted major sponsors and launched marketing campaigns to introduce products--and her sport to hundreds of thousands of people across the nation.

Athleticism helped breed Paraskevin-Young’s drive, and also helped drive her success. As a multi-sport athlete, she cross-trained to hone a multitude of skills—a practice that shaped her multi-faceted life—one prepared to take on all challenges.

As a speaker, Paraskevin-Young is a mentor, bringing her expertise and enthusiasm to others in an always inspiring and interactive way. Using her experience and success as a five-time Olympian, she shares her techniques and spirit, coaching audiences on to top performance and personal achievement. Her clear, honest, passion is contagious. “We all have it in us—the ability to achieve like an Olympian, “ she states, “You must make a commitment and move toward your goals each day.”

Four-time World Champion, Cycling
Olympic Bronze Medal, Cycling
Olympic Team, Cycling - 1996, 1992, 1988
Olympic Team, Speedskating - 1984, 1980
U.S. National Speedskating Champion
World Record Holder - 200M Cycling
Bicycling Hall of Fame - Inducted 2003
U.S. Olympian Association, VP


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