All That Glitters Will Be Stone at ’94 Winter Games

The organizing committee for the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer, Norway, announced Tuesday that medals awarded to athletes will be disk-shaped gray pieces of Norwegian granite, decorated with borders of gold, silver or bronze and including pictographs based on a 4,000-year-old rock carving most experts believe represents an ancient skier.

“At least they won’t break,” speedskater Bonnie Blair said upon learning of the stone medals during a conference call arranged to announce the selection of her and swimmer Pablo Morales as the U.S. Olympic Committee’s sportswoman and sportsman of the year for 1992.

In the Winter Olympics at Albertville, France, Blair won two gold medals, which were not gold at all but engraved crystal, edged with gold.

Blair won long-track speedskating’s 500- and 1,000-meter races at Albertville and plans to compete at Lillehammer.

Blair, 28, of Champaign, Ill., became the USOC’s sportswoman of the year in the closest voting since the awards were originated in 1974. Runner-up was Kristi Yamaguchi, the figure skating gold medalist from Fremont, Calif.

Morales, 28, of Santa Clara, Calif., won gold medals in the 100-meter butterfly and the 400-meter medley relay at Barcelona.