Alana Nichols
Alana Jane Nichols (born March 21, 1983) is an American
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Alana Jane Nichols |
Nationality | American |
Born | March 21, 1983 |
Sport | |
Country | United States |
Sport | Wheelchair basketball, Alpine skiing |
Medal record |
Childhood
Nichols was born in New Mexico and when she was nine months old, her father was killed by a drunk driver. Because her mother was struggling to raise Nichols and three other siblings, Nichols and her older sister, Jovan, were sent to their grandparents in Farmington, New Mexico.[1] Growing up, Nichols spent winters snowboarding in Colorado. During one such snowboarding trip in 2000, she attempted a back flip but over-rotated and landed back-first on a rock. When the accident occurred, Nichols was taken by helicopter to the San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington and it took eight hours of surgery to reconstruct her back with two rods and three pins.[2] The injury broke her T10/11 vertebrae and left her paralyzed from the waist down.[3]
College years
Nine months after her accident, Nichols headed to
Olympic career
Nichols is a five-time
One month after the
In 2012, Nichols competed in the London Paralympics, where the United States women's wheelchair basketball team placed fourth.[5] Leading up to the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, Nichols tore three ligaments while training.[6] Despite this injury, she was able to recover and earn a silver medal in the downhill.[1] In 2016, Nichols made her debut in the paracanoe at the Paralympic Games Rio.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d Higgins, Matt (September 13, 2016). "A Paralympian Goes for Another Gold, in a Third Sport". New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ Meyer, John (September 2, 2012). "Colorado resident Alana Nichols "blessed" to compete in Paralympics". Denver Post. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c d George, Josh (Mar 5, 2009). "From court to slopes, Nichols a fast learner". Universal Sports. Archived from the original on 2010-03-20. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
- ^ a b "Alana Nichols". United States Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
- ^ a b "Alana Nichols". Team USA. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ a b "Alana Nichols | American Paralympic Athlete Profiles | Medal Quest | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ Kortemeier, Todd (March 21, 2019). "Triple-Sport Paralympian Alana Nichols Announces Pregnancy On Her Birthday". Team USA. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.