Marty Nothstein facts for kids

Marty Nothstein (born February 10, 1971) is a famous American cyclist. He was a top athlete in both road bicycle racing and track cycling. Marty won three world championships and also earned gold and silver medals at the Olympic Games. After his cycling career, he even served as a local leader in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives.

Early Life and School

Marty Nothstein was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was one of five children. His dad owned a local car business. Interestingly, Marty's great-grandfather was also a talented bicycle racer!

Marty went to Emmaus High School in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1989. After high school, he attended Penn State University.

Marty's Cycling Career

Marty Nothstein started cycling in 1987. He made his first international appearance in 1989. This was at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Lyon, France.

He won his first world championship medal in 1993. It was a silver medal in the keirin event. In 1994, Marty became a double world champion. He won both the sprint and keirin events, even though he had a broken heel bone!

Marty rode with another injury in 1995. He had a fractured kneecap. Despite this, his U.S. sprint team won a bronze medal at the 1995 World Championships.

Olympic Achievements

Marty represented the United States at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. There, he won a silver medal in the cycling sprint.

Four years later, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Marty made history. He became the first American cyclist in 16 years to win an Olympic Games gold medal. He won it in the cycling sprint event.

Turning Professional

In March 2001, Marty became a professional cyclist. He joined the U.S.-based Mercury Viatel team. The next year, in 2002, he moved to the Navigators Insurance Cycling Team. He stayed with them for four years. Marty ended his competitive cycling career in 2006.

In 2004, Marty decided to switch to road riding. To do this, he lost 30 pounds compared to his weight at the 2000 Olympics.

After Cycling: New Adventures

After retiring from cycling in 2006, Marty tried something different. He started driving a NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car. This is a type of race car.

Marty won two races in the 2007 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. He finished 11th in points that season.

Public Service and Politics

In October 2017, Marty Nothstein announced he would run for office. He sought the Republican nomination for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. This was for Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district.

He lost his election bid to Democrat Susan Wild. Marty received 43.5% of the votes. He also ran in a special election for a different district, Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district, but was again defeated by Susan Wild.

Major Achievements in Cycling

World Championships

• 3 Gold Medals – Keirin (1996), Sprint and Keirin (1994)
• 2 Silver Medals – Match Sprint (1996), Keirin (1993)
• 2 Bronze Medals – Keirin (1997), Team Sprint (1995)

U.S. National Championships

• 34 Gold Medals

See also

In Spanish: Marty Nothstein para niños

• List of World Championship medalists in men's keirin