Noelle Pikus-Pace facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | December 8, 1982 Provo, Utah, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 160 lb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States |
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| Sport | Skeleton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Noelle Pikus-Pace, born on December 8, 1982, is a retired American skeleton racer. Skeleton is a winter sport where athletes slide head-first down a frozen track on a small sled. Noelle started her career in 2001 and became a very successful athlete.
She won five medals at the FIBT World Championships, which are major international competitions. She also competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Her biggest Olympic achievement was winning a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Contents
Noelle's Skeleton Career Highlights
Noelle Pikus-Pace quickly became a top athlete in skeleton. She won the overall Skeleton World Cup title in the 2004–05 season. This showed she was one of the best in the world.
A Challenging Accident and Comeback
In 2005, Noelle was a favorite to win a medal at the upcoming 2006 Winter Olympics. However, she had a serious accident during training in Calgary, Canada. A four-man bobsleigh, which is a much larger sled, failed to stop and hit her. This accident broke her right leg.
Noelle had surgery to fix her leg, and a titanium rod was placed inside it. Amazingly, she returned to competition just seven weeks later! Her incredible journey back from this injury was even featured in a documentary called 114 Days: The Race to Save a Dream. Even though she couldn't compete in the 2006 Olympics, her determination was clear.
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Taking a Break and Returning to the Ice
In 2007, Noelle announced she would take a break from the sport. She was six weeks pregnant and wanted to focus on her family. She returned to competition in late 2008.
For the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Noelle qualified to compete. Her husband, who works with metal, even designed a special sled for her. This was because her previous sleds had been damaged, including one in the bobsleigh accident. She finished fourth in the 2010 Games, a great achievement after all her challenges.
Retirement and an Amazing Return
After the 2010 Winter Olympics, Noelle Pikus-Pace decided to retire from skeleton. However, in the summer of 2012, she announced she would come out of retirement. Her goal was to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Winning Again on the World Stage
Her comeback was very successful. In January 2013, she won her first World Cup event since 2004 in Königssee, Germany. This was a big moment for her.
She continued to excel, helping Team USA-1 win a gold medal in the team event at the 2013 FIBT World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland. She also won a silver medal in the women's event at the same championships. She finished the 2012/13 World Cup season with another win in Sochi, Russia.
Olympic Silver Medal and Final Retirement
On February 14, 2014, Noelle Pikus-Pace achieved her dream. She won her first Olympic medal, a silver, at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. This medal was the perfect ending to her incredible comeback story. After this achievement, she retired from the sport for good.
Noelle's Personal Life
Noelle Pikus-Pace is the youngest of eight children in her family. She married her husband, Janson Pace, in 2002. They have two children, a daughter named Lacee Lynne and a son named Traycen. In July 2015, they welcomed twins, Payton and Makai.
Noelle shared that a personal loss and the sadness she felt made her husband encourage her to get back into skeleton. This support helped her achieve her Olympic dream. She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During the Sochi Olympics, she wore a special medallion she earned from her church's youth program.
See also
In Spanish: Noelle Pikus-Pace para niños
