Nelson Vails
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Vails in February 2007
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| Born | October 13, 1960 Harlem, New York |
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Medal record
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Nelson Beasley Vails (born October 13, 1960) is a retired road and track cyclist from the United States. He rode as a professional from 1988 to 1995 representing the USA at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, where he won the silver medal in the sprint, behind countryman Mark Gorski.[1] Vails was the first African-American cyclist to win an Olympic medal and he was inducted to the US Bicycle Hall of Fame in 2009.
Vails was also seen as a New York bicycle messenger in the film Quicksilver. He didn't just play a bicycle messenger in "Quicksilver," he worked as one in New York City. His nickname was "The Cheetah.".[2] After his sporting career he has worked as a cycling commentator for major TV networks and taken part in cycling safety programs.
Vails entered the Lehigh Valley Velodrome Cycling Hall of Fame.[3]
Palmarès
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- 1983
- 1st Pan American Games, individual sprint
- 1984
- 2nd Olympic Games, sprint
- 1st
US National Track Champion, individual sprint - 1st US National Track Champion, tandem sprint
- 1985
- 1st
Track World Champion, tandem sprint - 1st US National Track Champion, tandem sprint
- 1986
- 1st US National Track Champion, tandem sprint
References
- Use mdy dates from May 2015
- Pages with broken file links
- Pages using div col with unknown parameters
- 1960 births
- Living people
- American male cyclists
- Olympic cyclists of the United States
- African-American people
- Olympic silver medalists for the United States
- Olympic medalists in cycling
- Cyclists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
