127: Nikki Stone, Inverted Aerial Skiing Olympic Gold Medalist Who Rebounded From A Chronic Back Injury Through Grit And Determination. Nikki Is Now An Author, Motivational Speaker, Corporate Trainer, Mother And An Inspiration To Millions

Nikki Stone competed in the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan and became America’s first-ever Olympic Champion and Gold Medalist in the sport of inverted aerial skiing. What made this performance so unbelievable, was the fact that less than two years earlier, a chronic injury prevented her from standing, much less walking or skiing down a slope at almost 40 miles per hour. Nikki came dangerously close to being sidelined from aerial skiing indefinitely.

Her tenacity and refusal to step down from a challenge brought Nikki Stone back to the top of the freestyle skiing podium. This top spot was far from foreign to Nikki, as throughout her career she earned 35 World Cup medals, eleven World Cup titles, four national titles, two year long Aerial World Cup titles, and a World Championship title. She also became the first pure aerialist ever—male or female—to become the year long Overall Freestyle World Cup Champion.