Park City’s Gustafson inducted into National Adaptive Sports Hall of Fame

Nancy Gustafson is inducted into the National Adaptive Sports Hall of Fame in the Winter Competitor Category by Move United CEO Glenn Merry. Photo: Nancy Gustafson

PARK CITY, UT — Nancy Gustafson’s Olympic dreams took an unexpected turn when she struck a lift tower during practice at the 1985 NCAA Ski Championships, partially paralyzing her left arm and hand at age 20.

But the Park City resident didn’t let the accident end her competitive skiing career. Instead, she redirected her focus to Paralympic competition, ultimately earning eight Paralympic medals — seven gold and one silver — across three Games from 1988 to 1994.

Gustafson was recently inducted into the National Adaptive Sports Hall of Fame in the Winter Competition category. The honor, hosted by Move United, recognizes athletes who have distinguished themselves through outstanding performance and sportsmanship in national and international competition over at least three years.

“Growing up, my dreams and goals revolved around winning Olympic, World Cup, and World Ski Championships,” Gustafson said. “But after the accident that paralyzed my arm and hand, those dreams took a new shape. Instead, I won Paralympic medals as well as Disabled National Championships and World Championships.”

The Massachusetts native began skiing at age 2 and started racing at 6 at Bousquet Ski Area in Pittsfield. She competed in NCAA Division 1 Ski Championships as a freshman and sophomore at the University of New Hampshire before the 1985 accident changed her trajectory.

Within a year of her injury, Gustafson won four gold medals at the 1986 World Disabled Championships in Sweden. She added five gold medals at the 1990 World Championships in Winter Park and two bronze at the 1996 World Championships in Lech, Austria.

Her Paralympic achievements include a silver medal at the 1988 Games in Innsbruck, Austria, followed by three gold medals in 1992 in Albertville, France, and four gold medals in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. She competed in four disciplines: downhill, slalom, giant slalom, and Super G. At the U.S. and Canadian National Championships, she earned 33 gold, 6 silver, and 1 bronze medal.

After her competitive skiing career, Gustafson graduated from Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. She worked as a veterinary radiation oncologist before joining Huntsman Cancer Hospital at the University of Utah in 2019 to treat human patients. She also holds a master’s degree in medical dosimetry from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Gustafson now works as a Level III Certified Ski Instructor and remains active in alpine and Nordic skiing, cycling, hiking, rafting, and pickleball. She met her husband in Park City, and the couple married at Tengboche Monastery in Nepal during a trek to Mount Everest Base Camp.

Her previous honors include Colorado Amateur Sports Athlete of the Year in 1989 and U.S. Olympic Committee Athlete of the Year in 1989 and 1993. She was inducted into the University of New Hampshire Hall of Honor and will be inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in April.

“To be inducted this year is truly unimaginable and a tremendous honor,” Gustafson said. “It is the culmination of decades of hard work, sacrifices, disappointments, and accomplishments.”

Also inducted into the Adaptive Sports Hall of Fame was Mary Ellen Whitney of Wynantskill, New York, in the winter contributor category. Whitney founded STRIDE, a nonprofit adaptive sports program, in 1985 after recognizing that students with disabilities were often excluded from extracurricular activities.

The program has grown to offer more than 20 activities, from sled hockey and swimming to tennis and golf. Whitney retired as executive director in 2024 but continues to serve as a board member and volunteer director of snowsports programs.