Nancy Greene
Born: May 11, 1943
Place of Birth: Rossland, British Columbia
Major Notes:
Nancy Greene holds the Canadian record of 13 World Cup victories in skiing.
As a youth, she learned to ski on the hills in British Columbia.
One of her admired competitors was her own sister, Elizabeth, and fans loved to see the two compete.
Nancy Greene was influenced by the skiing of Lucile Wheeler in 1958 who was the first Canadian skier to win an Olympic medal.
Over the next few years, she improved in her skills determined to win a medal at the 1968 Olympics.
She won several races on the world stage of skiing prior to entering the Olympics.
Despite an injury, she skied to the gold medal in the giant slalom course beating out several favourites.
Greene also won a silver medal in the same Olympics in the downhill slalom.
She continued to win at the World Cup level following her Olympic triumphs.
When Nancy Greene retired, she became a TV star in commercials for Mars Bars and Pontiac cars.
She also served on the promotion staff of the Rossignol Ski Company, the maker of her winning skis.
Greene and her husband, Al Raine, have actively promoted skiing in Canada through their ski lodge in BC.
In 1968, Greene was given one of Canada's highest honours when she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Nancy Greene was also honoured in 1999 by being voted Canada's "Female Athlete of the Century".
For detailed research and more information, check out any of the following:
Speaker Profile
CBC Life and Times
Nancy Greene Official Site
Wikipedia
Women in Canadian Sport
Canada's Walk of Fame
Saving the Best for Last
Last Updated: June 13, 2006
© Canada-Heros/Don Jones 2003