Alana Nichols

Alana Nichols is a world-class athlete with a passion for challenging herself and others. She was born in March 21, 1983. She's known as America's Triple Threat Athlete in Alpine Skiing, Basketball and Sprint Kayaking. She has dozens of achievements, such as Gold Medal 2007 Parapan American Games, Gold Medal Wheelchair Basketball in  2008 Paralympic Summer Games, and she received Two Gold Medals: Downhill & Giant Slalom; Silver Medal Super-G; Bronze Medal Super Combined at Paralympic Winter Games 2010.

Other than medals collector, she has received some titles, such as National Champion (Downhill and Super-G) in 2009, Paralympic Athlete of the Year and Colorado Sports Woman of the Year in 2011.

Alana Nichols grew up in Farmington, New Mexico living an active lifestyle by participating in multiple athletics and having a passion for skiing and snowboarding. In 2000 during a ski trip in Colorado, she suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury while snowboarding, paralyzing her from the waist down. Thinking her athletic career was over, she experienced a wheelchair basketball game her freshman year at the University of New Mexico. The physical and competitive gameplay reignited her athletic endeavors and later she transferred to the University of Arizona to participate in the intercollegiate program for disabled sports. She later received her master’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Alabama.

Alana Nichols is the first American female to win gold medals at both Summer (Wheelchair Basketball) and Winter (Alpine Ski Racing) Olympic/Paralympic Games. What makes her a well known athelete by the world is that her passion for sports and adventure has driven her far. No matter what obstacle life throws her way, she takes a challenge head on. 

Now, she lived happily with her beautiful baby boy Gunnar and her husband Roy Tuscany. She will continue surfing, working to implement adaptive surfing into the 2024 games, being an amazing athlete, and even better mother and person.