Alana Nichols facts for kids
Alana Jane Nichols (born March 21, 1983) is an American Paralympic athlete. She is amazing at both wheelchair basketball and alpine skiing.
IPC Alpine World Championships in La Molina, Spain. Super-G event on Thursday. Women's sit skier Alana Nichols of the United States
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| Full name | Alana Jane Nichols | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | March 21, 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  United States |
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| Sport | Wheelchair basketball, Alpine skiing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Contents
Early Life and a Big Change
Alana Nichols was born in New Mexico. When she was very young, her father passed away. Alana and her older sister, Jovan, then moved to live with their grandparents in Farmington.
Growing up, Alana loved to snowboard in Colorado during the winter. In 2000, when she was 17, she had an accident while snowboarding. She tried a trick but landed badly on her back. This accident caused a serious injury to her spine. It left her unable to move her legs, meaning she became paralyzed from the waist down.
Discovering New Sports
Nine months after her accident, Alana went to the University of New Mexico. There, in 2002, she found wheelchair basketball. She quickly became very good at it!
After finding her passion for wheelchair basketball, Alana moved to the University of Arizona. She studied special education and school psychology. Later, she earned a master's degree in kinesiology from the University of Alabama. Kinesiology is the study of how the body moves.
Paralympic Journey
Alana Nichols is a true Paralympic star! She has competed in five Paralympic Games and won six medals. A Paralympian is an athlete with a disability who competes at the highest level.
Wheelchair Basketball Success
Alana was an alternate for the U.S. women's wheelchair basketball team in 2004. By 2005, she was on the national team. She helped her team win a silver medal at the 2006 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship.
Her first Paralympic Games were in 2008 in Beijing. There, she and her U.S. women's team won a gold medal in wheelchair basketball!
Alpine Skiing Achievements
After her success in Beijing, Alana decided to try alpine skiing. She had tried adaptive skiing before, but chose to focus on basketball. She was inspired by the 2006 Winter Paralympics.
Alana started training with the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, Colorado. She improved very quickly! In 2009, she won her first big race, a super-G event. She also won a downhill event later that year.
In March 2010, Alana had an amazing season in the IPC Alpine World Cup. She finished first in downhill skiing. She also placed second in super combined and third in super-G.
Making History in Vancouver
Later in March 2010, Alana competed in the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, Canada. She had an incredible performance! She won two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. She took first place in both downhill and giant slalom. She was second in super-G and third in super combined.
Alana Nichols made history at these games. She became the first American woman to win gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games!
Continued Paralympic Efforts
Alana continued to compete at the highest level. In 2012, she played wheelchair basketball at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. The U.S. team finished fourth.
Before the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, Alana faced another challenge. She injured her knee while training. But she worked hard to recover. She still managed to win a silver medal in the downhill event!
In 2016, Alana tried a new sport: paracanoe. She competed in this event at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio.
Media Work
Alana Nichols has also shared her knowledge and experience with others. She worked as a commentator for NBC during the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.
See also
In Spanish: Alana Nichols para niños
