Cindy Nelson
Cynthia Lee Nelson (born August 19, 1955) is former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States.
| Alpine skier | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Nelson in 1975 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disciplines | Downhill, Giant slalom, Slalom, Combined, Super-G | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | August 19, 1955 Lutsen, Minnesota, U.S.[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | December 1971 (age 16)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | April 1985 (age 29) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 – (1976–84) missed 1972 – hip injury | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 1 (0 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 6 – (1974–85) includes 2 Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 3 (0 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 13 – (1972, '74–85) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 6 – (3 DH, 1 SG, 1 GS, 1 K) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 0 – (4th in 1979) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 0 – (2nd in DH, 1978) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Racing career
Born and raised in Lutsen in northeastern Minnesota, Nelson's family ran the local ski area and she was on skis before the age of three. She raced in all five alpine disciplines, with a focus on downhill, and was on the World Cup squad of the U.S. Ski Team at age 16.[2] Nelson won the silver medal in the downhill at the 1982 World Championships[3] and was the bronze medalist in the downhill at the 1976 Winter Olympics.[4][5][6]
During her first World Cup season, she had two top-15 finishes in downhill as the 1972 Winter Olympics neared.[2] She was expected to make the U.S. Olympic team, but dislocated a hip in a downhill at Grindelwald on January 18, two weeks before the games began.[7] She missed those Winter Olympics[8] but competed in 1976, 1980, and 1984.[9] Two years after her hip injury she won her first World Cup race back at Grindelwald in 1974, the first-ever American to gain a World Cup victory in downhill. Nelson's only victory in a World Cup giant slalom was also her only win in North America, in the rain at Whistler, British Columbia.[10] She retired from international competition after the 1985 season with six World Cup wins, 26 podiums, and 123 top ten finishes.
World Cup results
Season standings
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 16 | — | — | — | not run | — | not awarded |
| 1973 | 17 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974 | 18 | 15 | 14 | — | — | ||
| 1975 | 19 | 8 | 28 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1976 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 3 | |
| 1977 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 10 | not awarded | |
| 1978 | 22 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 1979 | 23 | 4 | 26 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1980 | 24 | 10 | 43 | 31 | 4 | 3 | |
| 1981 | 25 | 8 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 7 | |
| 1982 | 26 | 5 | 25 | 7 | 7 | 3 | |
| 1983 | 27 | 7 | 39 | 2 | not awarded (w/ GS) | 25 | 7 |
| 1984 | 28 | 41 | — | 15 | — | — | |
| 1985 | 29 | 48 | — | 22 | 34 | — |
Race victories
- 6 wins – (3 DH, 1 SG, 1 GS, 1 K)
- 23 podiums – (15 DH, 1 SG, 4 GS, 1 SL, 1 K)
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | January 13, 1974 |  | Downhill |
| 1975 | December 21, 1974 |  | Downhill |
| March 1, 1975 | .svg.png){kind=small} | Giant Slalom | |
| 1976 | January 9, 1976 | | Combined |
| 1979 | February 9, 1979 |  | Downhill |
| 1983 | January 10, 1983 | | Super-G |
- Nelson also won an unofficial Super-G race on March 23, 1982, a test event in San Sicario, Italy.[11]
World Championship results
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 16 | — | — | not run | — | — |
| 1974 | 18 | 11 | DNF | 18 | — | |
| 1976 | 20 | 13 | 21 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1978 | 22 | 30 | 15 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1980 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 2 | |
| 1982 | 26 | 16 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1985 | 29 | — | — | 25 | 15 |
From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.
At the World Championships from 1954 through 1980, the combined was a "paper race" using the results of the three events (DH, GS, SL).
Olympic results 
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 16 | — | — | not run | — | not run |
| 1976 | 20 | 13 | 21 | 3 | ||
| 1980 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 7 | ||
| 1984 | 28 | — | 18 | — |
Other
In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Nelson's name and picture.[12]
References
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Cindy Nelson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
- Johnson, William O. (January 27, 1975). "Here Today, Gold Tomorrow". Sports Illustrated: 50.
- Dobbin, Winsor (February 5, 1982). "North Americans conquer downhill". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. p. 21.
- Johnson, William Oscar (February 16, 1976). "On came the heroes". Sports Illustrated: 13.
- Grimsley, Will (February 9, 1976). "Cindy Nelson beats mountain". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. p. 3B.
- Sullivan, Robert (March 4, 1985). "Cindy Nelson's long skiing career is nearing its final downhill run". Sports Illustrated: 6.
- "Cindy Nelson's injury jolts U.S. ski hopes". Schenectady Gazette. New York. Associated Press. January 19, 1972. p. 43.
- Minthorn, David (January 21, 1976). "Cindy Nelson U.S. ski hope". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. p. 31.
- Kupper, Mike (February 14, 1984). "All uphill, but Nelson comes back". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1-part 3.
- "Cindy Nelson beats slime in (giant) slalom". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. March 2, 1975. p. 8.
- "Cindy Nelson winner of new super slalom". Ottawa Citizen. Canada. Associated Press. March 24, 1982. p. 31.
- Wulf, Steve (March 23, 2015). "Supersisters: Original Roster". Espn.go.com. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cindy Nelson. |
- Cindy Nelson at the International Ski Federation
- Cindy Nelson World Cup standings at the International Ski Federation
- Cindy Nelson at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database
- Cynthia Nelson at the International Olympic Committee
| Olympic Games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Olga Fikotová |
Flagbearer for  Innsbruck 1976 |
Succeeded by Gary Hall Sr. |