Adam Nelson - College Career and Olympic Medals

College Career and Olympic Medals

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.

He tried for an Olympic place for a fourth time at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, but did not make the final round in wet conditions.

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.

In 2012, retroactive testing on sample retains form the 2004 Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee revealed that former 2004 Olympic gold medalist Yuriy Bilonoh was guilty of performance enhancing drug use. The positive test resulted in Bilonoh being stripped of his gold medal. The medal was awarded Adam Nelson, for having the best clean throw in the competition. It was Nelson's first Olympic gold.