Adam Nelson

Medal record
Nelson at the 2011 World Championships
Men's athletics
Competitor for United States
Olympic Games
Silver	2000 Sydney	Shot put
Silver	2004 Athens	Shot put
World Championships
Gold	2005 Helsinki	Shot put
Silver	2001 Edmonton	Shot put
Silver	2003 Paris	Shot put
Silver	2007 Osaka	Shot put
IAAF World Athletics Final
Silver	2004 Monaco	Shot put
Gold	2005 Monaco	Shot put
Silver	2007 Stuttgart	Shot put

Adam Nelson (born July 7, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an elite American shotputter. A 1997 graduate of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, Nelson has competed in three Olympic Games. In 1996, Nelson worked at a concession stand during the 1996 Summer Olympics in his hometown of Atlanta.

High school years

Nelson attended The Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia and was a letterman and a standout in both football and track and field. Adam Nelson graduated from The Lovett School in 1993.

College years and Olympic glory

While he was an undergraduate at Dartmouth, Nelson won various accolades as a member of the track and field team. He still holds the Dartmouth shot put record with a throw of 65 feet 3 inches (19.88 m). In addition, Nelson played on the football team, as a linebacker and later, as a defensive tackle, becoming the first freshman to play football at Dartmouth in 1993. Prior to 1993, the Ivy League prohibited first-year students from playing on the varsity football team. He was a member of Dartmouth's 1996 undefeated Ivy League champion team, and served as President of Chi Heorot fraternity in 1997.

In the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Nelson earned a silver medal after coming in first place in the 2000 Olympic Trials for shotput. Going into the Games, Nelson was the favorite to win, having won every major shotput event in the summer of 2000. His throw of 21.21 m (69 ft 7 in) was just three inches (8 cm) short of the winning throw by gold medalist Arsi Harju.

Nelson's personal best is 22.51 (73 ft 10 in), which he threw in 2002. At that time, this was the third longest throw in U.S. history and the ninth farthest ever in the world.

Nelson also earned a silver medal in the shot put finals at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The shot put was held in a spectacular setting at the original Stadium of Ancient Olympia, bringing Olympic competition back to the venue for the first time in over a millennium. Nelson jumped out in front of the field with his first throw of 21.16 m (69 feet, 5 inches), and held the lead going into the sixth and final round. As the leader, Nelson was scheduled to be the last thrower in the round and thus, the competition. The holder of the 2nd place throw, Yuriy Bilonog of the Ukraine was scheduled to throw second to last. If Nelson remained in first place after Bilonog's final throw, he would know that he had won his first gold medal and his last throw would become moot. It was not to be; Yury Bilonog stepped up and threw 21.16 m (69 feet, 5 inches) to tie Nelson for first place with his sixth throw. To break a tie, the competitors' second best throws are compared, and unfortunately, Nelson had fouled every throw since his competition-leading first throw. Nelson entered the ring for his final throw and unleashed what looked to be a gold medal winning 70 foot throw, but fouled by stepping on the line to the left front of the circle. Thus, by virtue of the tie-breaker and his superior second-best throw, Yuriy Bilonog won the gold medal and Nelson had to settle for his second consecutive Olympic silver medal. Nelson initially protested vociferously to the officials, but later realized that he did in fact foul and apologized for his emotional reaction.

Nelson's silver medal was the first track and field medal for the United States in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Nelson finally achieved his dreams of a major world title, when he won gold at the 2005 World Athletics Championships with a throw of 21.73 meters. He has qualified to compete in his third straight 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, placing third at the 2008 US Trials. Nelson is also a prominent campaigner against doping in sport.

Nelson regularly reads and posts on The Ring, an online track and field forum, and as of November 2009 has endorsed Force Factor brand sports supplements.

Achievements

Adam Nelson on the podium of the 2007 World Championships

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing the United States
1994	World Junior Championships	Lisbon, Portugal	1st	18.34 m
2001	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	2nd	21.24 m
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	2nd	21.16 m

Career progression

Outdoor

• 2010 21.29 Zürich 18/08/2010
• 2009 21.11 Berlin 15/08/2009

2008 22.12 Eugene, OR 08/06/2008

• 2007 21.61 Osaka 25/08/2007
• 2006 22.04 Indianapolis, IN 23/06/2006
• 2005 21.92 Monaco 10/09/2005
• 2004 21.68 Gresham, OR 05/06/2004
• 2003 21.29 Kuortane 20/07/2003
• 2002 22.51 Portland 18/05/2002
• 2001 21.53 Rüdlingen 19/08/2001
• 2000 22.12 Sacramento, CA 15/07/2000
• 1999 20.64 Palma de Mallorca 10/07/1999
• 1998 20.61 Rüdlingen 23/08/1998
• 1997 19.92 01/01/1997
• 1996 19.14 01/01/1996
• 1995 18.27 01/01/1995
• 1994 18.34 Lisboa 23/07/1994

Indoor

• 2010 20.91 Bydgoszcz 10/02/2010
• 2009 20.79 New York (MSG), NY 30/01/2009
• 2008 22.40 Fayetteville, AR 15/02/2008
• 2006 20.99 Boston (Roxbury), MA 28/01/2006
• 2005 21.66 Boston (Roxbury), MA 29/01/2005
• 2004 19.81 New York (Msg), NY 06/02/2004
• 2003 20.63 Boston (Roxbury), MA 02/03/2003
• 2002 21.57 New York (Armory), NY 01/03/2002
• 2001 21.40 Atlanta, GA 03/03/2001
• 1999 20.32 Atlanta, GA 27/02/1999
• 1998 19.86 Indianapolis, IN 13/03/1998

External links

• Official website
• IAAF profile for Adam Nelson
• Article about the 2000 Olympics on Dartmouth College Website
• Article in The Dartmouth on Adam Nelson's Medal
• Adam Nelson's U.S. Olympic Team bio