Diana Golden - Skiing Career

Skiing Career

Within a year of taking up skiing again Golden had won 4 gold medals internationally including 3 in the 1986 World Disabled Championships. She was dominant in the United States Disabled Alpine Championships winning all four of the giant slalom, slalom, downhill and combined disciplines in both 1987 and 1988. Also in 1988 Golden won 2 golds at the World Disabled Championships and most famously won a gold in the giant slalom at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, where the event was a demonstration sport. Golden retired in 1990 but before this she would win 3 gold medals at her last World Disabled Championships in 1990 at Winter Park Resort in Colorado. In total throughout her career Golden won 19 national, 10 World and 1 Olympic disabled gold medals.

Golden at first used outriggers when skiing but would abandon these in favour of the standard ski poles so being able to reach greater speeds but requiring more strength and stamina. In 1990 using the normal ski poles and one ski Golden was recorded as travelling at 65 miles per hour during a downhill race. As well as competing in disabled events Golden also took part in able-bodied events and she got the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) to pass the "Golden Rule" in 1985. Under this rule the top disabled skiers were able to race after only the top 15 skiers had taken part, thus enabling the disabled skiers to compete before the course becomes rutted from heavy usage. In 1987, competing against able-bodied competitors, Golden finished 10th in a USSA competition.

Golden received a number of awards during her career including the USSA's Beck Award in 1986 honouring the best female skier in international competition. It was in 1988 however that Golden received the most recognition when both Ski Racing Magazine and the United States Olympic Committee named her female skier of the year, choosing her ahead of able-bodied skiers.