Adam Nelson

Bio:
USA Championships
Two-time Olympic Trials champion - 2000 (22.12m/72-7); 2004 (21.64m/71-0)
Three-time USATF Outdoor champion - 2002 (22.22m/72-10.75); 2006 (22.04n/72-3.75); 2011 (22.09m/72-5.75)
Two-time USATF Indoor champion - 2001 (21.40m/70-2.5); 2002 (21.57m/70-9.25)
2005 USATF Outdoor runner-up (21.52m/70-7.25)
 
International Championships
2004 Olympic gold medalist (21.69m/69-5.25)
2000 Olympic silver medalist (69-7)
2005 World Outdoor champion (21.73m/71-3.5)
Three-time World Outdoor silver medalist - 2001 (21.24m/69-8.25); 2003 (21.26m/69-9); 2007 (21.61m/70-10.75)
2001 World Indoor silver medalist (20.72m/67-11.75)
2001 Goodwill Games gold medalist (20.91m/68-7.25)
1994 World Junior gold medalist (18.33m/60-2)
 
Collegiate Championships/Honors
2008 Indoor Visa Championship Series champion
1997 NCAA champion (19.62m/64-4.5)
 
About Adam
In a long and brilliant career, Adam Nelson has qualified for a total of five World Outdoor Championship teams and earned seven world and Olympic medals, which included the 2004 Olympic gold. After initially winning silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Nelson was officially awarded gold in May of 2013 after Ukraine's Yuriy Bilonoh was stripped of the gold following a doping violation. His first (2000) and most recent (2011) USA Outdoor titles have spanned 11 years. Some of the more successful seasons for Nelson came while working toward his MBA at the University of Virginia, while helping coach and splitting time reporting part-time for three Charlottesville TV stations. After a total of four World Championships and Olympic silver medals, Nelson finally got over that hump by winning gold at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships. Nelson joins five other American shot putters that have competed in three Olympic Games (Ralph Rose, George Woods, John Godina and Parry O’Brien, who is the only four-timer). For the outdoor World Championships, only Godina has competed in six; Nelson five. In 2005, Nelson, who did not have a sponsor at the time,  offered his services on eBay to prospective sponsors and signed a one-month, $12,000 deal with MedivoxRX Technologies to advertise Rex--the Talking Bottle, an aid for the blind and for senior citizens who have difficulty reading labels. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle in September of 1999 while bench-pressing. He then changed training methods to include more work on strengthening his mid-section and doing plyometrics, something he credits for his marked improvement. After training in Northern California, Nelson moved to New York City for a time in late 2000 and early 2001, but then returned briefly to California before relocating later in 2001 to Athens, Ga. Nelson’s life in NYC included acting lessons in addition to his shot put training. Nelson comes from an athletic family. His father played center for the Mississippi State football team, his brother played rugby, and his sister starred in soccer for Dartmouth. Originally a football player, Nelson was asked to come out for track in 8th grade by his coach, who handled both track and football: ‘I was the worst 8th-grade shot putter in our group, but I stuck with it, and it paid off.’ Nelson played football all through high school and college. He started out as a linebacker at Dartmouth, and finished up as a defensive tackle: ‘As my butt got bigger they moved me up closer to the line’ before earning his degree in government. Nelson has become well known for his pre-shot put routine of marching in front of the competition circle and yelling for the crowd to cheer him on before stripping off his t-shirt and storming into the circle for his attempt. In 2012 the IOC stripped the 2004 gold medal from Yuriy Bilonog of Ukraine, but no decision has been made if the medal will be reallocated. He married on March 13, 2004, to Lacy. The couple has two daughters.

Events & Rankings:Results
2012:15th at Olympic Trials (18.47m/60-7.25); 10th at Shanghai (14.60m/47-10.75); 3rd at Daegu (20.34m/66-8.75); 3rd at U.S. Open (20.68m/67-10.25); 4th at USA Indoor (20.58m/67-6.25); 1st at Boston Indoor Grand Prix (21.27m/69-9.5);
2011: 8^th at World Outdoors (20.69m/66-7); USA Outdoor champion (22.09m/72-5.75); 3rd at USA Indoor Champs (20.15m/66-1.5)
2010: 3rd at USA Outdoors (20.84m/68-04.5); 5th at World Indoors (21.11m/69-3.25); 3rd at Bydgoszcz (20.91m/68-7.25); 2nd in Zurich (21.29m/69-10.25); 7th at Oslo (19.91m/65-4)
2009: 4th at USA Outdoors (21.01m/68-11.25); 5th at World Outdoors (21.11m/69-3.25); 1st at Millrose Games (20.79m/68-2.5); 2nd at Tyson Invitational (21.01m/68-11.25)
2008:1st in Group B qualifying at Olympics (20.56m/67-5.50); 3rd at Olympic Trials (20.89m/68-03.00); 1st at Nike Prefontaine Classic (22.12m/72-7); 2nd at adidas Track Classic (21.13m/69-4); 2nd at Reebok Grand Prix (20.91m/68-7.25); 1st at Tyson Invite (22.40m/73-6); 1st at Millrose Games (22.07m/72-5); 3rd at USA Indoors (21.25m/69-8.75)
2007: World Outdoor silver medalist (21.61m/70-10.75); 3rd at USA Outdoor Championships (20.54m/67-4.75); 2nd at adidas Track Classic (21.47m/70-5.25); 6th at Madrid (20.28m/66-6.5)
2006: USA Outdoor champion (22.04n/72-3.75); 4th at USA Indoor (20.30m/66-7.25); 1st at Dakar (21.28m/69-9.75); 2nd at Nike Prefontaine Classic (21.44m/70-4.25)
2005: World Outdoor champion (21.73m/71-3.5); 2nd at USA Outdoor Champs (21.52m70-7.25); 1st at World Athletics Final (21.92m/71-11); 1st at Reebok Grand Prix (21.58m/70-9.75); 4th at adidas Track Classic (20.55m/67-5.25); 3rd at USA Indoors (21:59m/70-10); 1st Reebok Boston Indoor Games (21.66m/71-0.75)
2004: Olympic gold medalist (21.69m/69-5.25); Olympic Trials champion (21.64m/71-0); 3rd at Verizon Millrose Games (19.81m/65-0); 2nd at Nike Prefontaine Classic (21.50m/70-6.5); 2nd at Adidas Oregon (21.68m/71-1.5); 2nd at Payton Jordan US Open (20.91m/68-7.25); 4th at Home Depot (20.72m/67-11.75)
2003: World Outdoor silver medalist (21.26m/69-9); 3rd at USA Indoors (20.63m); 4th at USA Outdoors (20.61m/67-7.50); 1st at Kuortane (21.29m/69-10.25); 2nd at Salamanca (21.10m/69-2.75)
2002: USA Outdoor champion (22.22m/72-10.75); USA Indoor champion (21.57m/70-9.25); 1st at World Cup (20.80m/68-3); 1st at adidas Oregon Track Classic (22.51m/73-10.25); 1st at Knoxville, TN (22.15m/72-8); 1st in Salamanca (21.61m/70-10.75); 1st at Mt. SAC (21.41m/70-3)
2001: World Outdoor silver medalist (21.24m/69-8.25); World Indoor silver medalist (20.72m/67-11.75); USA Indoor champion (21.40m/70-2.5); Goodwill Games gold medalist (20.91m/68-7.25); 1st at adidas Golden Spike Invitational (20.96m/68-9.25); 1st in Calgary (21.39m/70-2.25); 1st in Rudlingen (21.53m/70-7.75); 1st in Thessaloniki (20.95m/68-8.75); 2nd at Peregrine Systems U.S. Open (20.81m/68-3.25)
2000: Olympic silver medalist (69-7); Olympic Trials champion (22.12m/72-7); 1st at Pontiac Grand Prix Invitational (21.40m/70-2.5); 1st at GMC Envoy Open (21.70m/71-2.25); 1st at Bislett Games (21.43/70-3.75); 1st at Brussels (21.58/70-9.75); 1st at Berlin (20.89m/68-6.5)
1998: 1st at Heps Indoor (63-4); 2nd in NCAA Indoor (65-2); 3rd in USA Outdoors (66-9.25); 3rd in Goodwill Games (66-10.75); 3rd in Rudlingen (67-7.5)
1997: 1st at NCAAs (64-4.5); 1st at Heps Indoor (57-4.75); 1st at IC4A Indoor (58-6); 2nd at IC4As (60-4); 8th in USA Outdoors (62-8)
1996: 1st at Heps (59-11); 2nd in Heps DT (169-7)...won IC4As (59-5.5); 4th in DT (173-0); 9th at NCAAs (60-2); 16th in qualifying at Olympic Trials (58-10.25)
1995: 2nd in Heps Indoor (54-8.25); 1st at Heps (56-11.25); 1st at New England's (59-1.25); 1st at IC4As (59-3); 3rd in DT (164-11); 13th at NCAA (57-8.5)
1994: World Junior gold medalist (18.33m/60-2); 1st at Heps Indoor (57-2); 1st at Heps (55-10.5); 1st at IC4A (58-1); 1st at USA Juniors (55-9.75)
1993: Won Georgia HS state titles in SP and DT for second straight year; 1st at National Scholastic (63-2.25 HS); 2nd at USA Juniors (53-11); 1st at Pan-Am Juniors (54-4)
 
USA/World Rankings and Personal Bests
2012: Indoor - 21.27m/69-9.5 (No. 4 in the USA, No. 6 in the world); Outdoor - 21.54m/70-8 (No. 4 in the USA, No. 6 in the world, ranked No. 5 in the USA by T&FN)    
2011: Indoor - 20.51m/67-03.50 (No. 5 in the USA, No. 9 in the world); Outdoor - 22.09m/72-05.75 (No. 1 in the USA, No. 3 in the world, ranked No. 4 in the USA & ranked No. 8 in the world by T&FN)
2010: Indoor - 20.91m/68-07.25 (No. 4 in the USA, No. 9 in the world); Outdoor - 21.29m/69-10.25 (No. 5 in the USA, No. 9 in the world, ranked No. 3 in the USA & ranked No. 7 in the world by T&FN)
2009: Indoor - 21.01m/68-11.25 (No. 3 in the USA, No. 4 in the world); Outdoor - 21.11m/69-03.25 (No. 4 in the USA, No. 7 in the world, ranked No. 3 in the USA & world by T&FN)
2008: Indoor - 22.40m/73-06 (No. 1 in the USA, No. 1 in the world); Outdoor - 22.12m/72-07 (No. 1 in the USA, No. 1 in the world, ranked No. 4 in the USA & ranked No. 5 in the world by T&FN)
2007: Outdoor - 21.61m/74-02.25 (No. 3 in the USA, No. 4 in the world, ranked No. 2 in the USA & world by T&FN)
2006: Indoor - 20.99m/68-10.50 (No. 3 in the USA, No. 7 in the world); Outdoor - 22.04m/72-03.75 (No. 2 in the USA, No. 2 in the world, ranked No. 3 in the USA & ranked No. 6 in the world by T&FN)
2005: Indoor - 21.66m/71-0.75 (No. 3 in the USA, No. 3 in the world); Outdoor - 21.92m/71-11 (No. 2 in the USA, No. 2 in the world, ranked No. 1 in the world by T&FN)
2004: Indoor - 19.81m/65-0 (No. 5 in the USA, No. 29 in the world); Outdoor - 21.68m/71-01.50 (No. 3 in the USA, No. 3 in the world, ranked No. 2 in the USA & world by T&FN)
2003: Indoor - 20.63m/67-08.25 (No. 5 in the USA, No. 11 in the world); Outdoor -21.29m/69-10.25 (No. 3 in the USA, No. 6 in the world, ranked No. 1 in the USA & ranked No. 3 in the world by T&FN)
2002: Indoor - 21.57m/70-09.25 (No. 1 in the USA, No. 1 in the world); Outdoor - 22.51m/73-10.25 (No. 1 in the USA, No. 1 in the world by T&FN)