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Mohawk Valley
connection:
Born in Utica,
NY
Claim to
fame:
Competed in 3
Winter Olympic Games
Did you
know?
Bialas lost his
leg in a railway accident, but continued
to skate with an artifical leg
In His Memory:
Val Bialas Recreation
Center located on Memorial Parkway
in Utica, NY
Suggest
a celebrity | Utica
community
|
|
 |
| Sledders
make their
way up the sledding
hill at Val Bialas Recreation Center,
named for the local Olympic skater.
Photo by ELIZABETH
A.
MUNDSCHENK |
|
Quick
Bio
Valentine
Bialas was born on January 10, 1903 in
Utica, NY.
Bialas was a local speed skater who brought
fame to the area by competing in the 1924
Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France at
age 21.
In 1928, Bialas competed in the Winter
Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland and
again during the 1932 games in Lake Placid.
At age 33, Bialas had qualified for the
Olympics in Garmisch, Germany, but had
to withdraw due to a railway accident
that took his leg.
Determined to continue
skating, Bialas practiced using his artificial
leg. Eventually, he was able to skate
at his old speed with his new leg.
Val Bialas Recreation Center located on
Memorial Parkway in Utica is named for
him.
-Profile
by Jennifer L. Blanchard
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