Alana Nichols facts for kids
Alana Jane Nichols (born March 21, 1983) is an amazing American athlete. She is a Paralympic champion in two different sports: wheelchair basketball and alpine skiing. Alana has won many medals, showing incredible strength and determination.
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 Accident
Alana Nichols was born in New Mexico. When she was very young, her father passed away. Alana and her older sister, Jovan, then went to live with their grandparents in Farmington.
Growing up, Alana loved to go snowboarding in Colorado during the winter. In 2000, when she was 17, she had a serious accident. She tried a back flip trick but landed badly on a rock. This accident severely injured her back. Doctors had to perform a long surgery to fix her spine. The injury left her paralyzed, meaning she could not move her legs.
Discovering Sports in College
About 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 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 five-time Paralympian, which means she has competed in five Paralympic Games. She has won six medals in total: three gold, two silver, and one bronze.
Her first big step was joining the U.S. women's wheelchair basketball team in 2005. The team won a silver medal at the World Championship in 2006. Alana made her Paralympic debut in 2008. At the Beijing Games, her team won a gold medal in wheelchair basketball!
Alpine Skiing Success
Soon after the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, Alana decided to try alpine skiing. She had tried adaptive skiing before, but chose to focus on basketball. After watching the skiing events at the 2006 Winter Paralympics, she wanted to try it again. She began training with the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Colorado.
Alana quickly improved in skiing. In 2009, she won her first race, a super-G event. She also won a downhill event later that year. In March 2010, she had a great season in the IPC Disabled Alpine World Cup. She finished first in downhill, second in super combined, and third in super-G.
Her biggest skiing success came at the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games in Vancouver. She won two gold medals (downhill and giant slalom), a silver medal (super-G), and a bronze medal (super combined). Alana Nichols became the first American woman to win gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games!
Later Paralympic Games
In 2012, Alana competed in the London Paralympics with the U.S. women's wheelchair basketball team. They finished in fourth place.
Before the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Alana got another injury while training. But she recovered and still won a silver medal in the downhill skiing event! In 2016, Alana tried a new sport, paracanoe, and competed in the Paralympic Games in Rio.
Media Career
Alana Nichols also shares 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
