View source for Adam Nelson

{{short description|American shot putter}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = Adam Nelson
| image          = Adam Nelson Deagu 2011.jpg
| image_size     =
| caption        = Nelson at the 2011 World Championships
| full_name      = Adam McCright Nelson
| nickname       =
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1975|07|07}}
| birth_place    = [[Atlanta]], Georgia, U.S.
| death_date     =
| death_place    =
| height         = 6 ft 0 in
| weight         = 255 lb
| country        = {{USA}}
| sport          = [[Track and field]]
| event          = [[Shot put]]
| club           = 
| team           =
| turnedpro      = 
| retired        = 
| coach          = Carrie Lane
| worlds         = 
| regionals      =
| nationals      =
| olympics       =
| paralympics    =
| highestranking =
| pb             = 22.51 m (outdoor)<br />22.40 m (indoor)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Men's [[athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
[[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|80px]]
{{MedalGold| [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]] | [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}} 
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold |[[2005 World Championships in Athletics|2005 Helsinki]] |[[2005 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics|2001 Edmonton]] |[[2001 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
{{MedalSilver |[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|2003 Paris]] |[[2003 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
{{MedalSilver |[[2007 World Championships in Athletics|2007 Osaka]] |[[2007 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}} 
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Athletics Final]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2005 IAAF World Athletics Final|2005 Monaco]] |Shot put}}
{{MedalSilver |[[2004 IAAF World Athletics Final|2004 Monaco]] |Shot put}}
{{MedalSilver |[[2007 IAAF World Athletics Final|2007 Stuttgart]] |Shot put}}
| show-medals    = yes
}}

'''Adam McCright Nelson''' (born July 7, 1975) is a retired American [[shot put]]ter and [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists|Olympic gold medalist]]. Nelson competed in three consecutive [[Olympic Games]] in 2000, 2004 and 2008. In addition to his gold medal at the [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Olympics]], Nelson won a [[silver medal]] at the [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Olympics]].

He is married to Laci Nelson and he has 2 daughters, Caroline and Lauren Nelson.

==Personal life==
{{BLP unsourced section|date=September 2024}}
Adam Nelson was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended [[The Lovett School]] in Atlanta where he was a letterman and a standout in [[American football|football]] and [[track and field]]. Nelson graduated from Lovett in 1993 and moved on to [[Dartmouth College]], graduating from the [[Ivy League]] school in 1997. As an undergraduate at Dartmouth, Nelson earned various accolades as a member of the track and field team, including the collegiate shot put title at the 1997 [[NCAA]] championships with a throw of {{convert|19.62|m|ftin|abbr=on}}.

Nelson holds the Dartmouth shot put record with a throw of {{convert|65|ft|3|in|m}}. In addition to shot put, Nelson played football at Dartmouth, as a linebacker and later, as a defensive tackle. In 1993 he became the first freshman ever to play football on the Dartmouth squad. Prior to 1993, the Ivy League prohibited first-year students from playing on the varsity football team. Nelson was a member of Dartmouth's 1996 undefeated Ivy League champion team.

At Dartmouth, Adam Nelson served as President of [[Chi Heorot]] fraternity.

Prior to his own Olympics experience, Nelson worked at a concession stand during the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] in his hometown of Atlanta.

==International career==
Adam Nelson earned a [[silver medal]] In the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in [[Sydney]], Australia, Prior to the [[Olympic Games|Games]], Nelson was considered the favorite to win gold. He had won the title in every major [[shot put]] event leading up to the Olympic Games that summer including the 2000 [[United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|Olympic Trials]]. At the 2000 Games, his throw of {{convert|21.21|m|ftin|abbr=off}} was {{convert|3|in|cm|spell=in}} short of the winning throw of [[gold medal]]ist, [[Arsi Harju]] of Finland.

Nelson's personal best in the shot put is {{convert|22.51|m|ftin|abbr=off}}, which he threw in 2002. At that time, this was the third-longest throw in [[United States|U.S.]] history and the ninth-farthest ever in the world.

At the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] in [[Athens]], Greece the shot put was held in a spectacular setting at the original Stadium of Ancient [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]], bringing Olympic competition back to the venue for the first time in over a millennium.

In Athens, Nelson jumped out in front of the field with his first round throw of {{convert|21.16|m|ftin|abbr=off}}. He held the lead going into the final round, despite fouling throws in rounds 2, 3, 4 and 5. As the event leader, Nelson was the last to throw in the sixth and final round. The current second-place thrower, [[Yuriy Bilonog]] of [[Ukraine]], stepped up on his final throw and improved with a throw of {{convert|21.16|m|ftin|abbr=off}} to tie Nelson for first place. Nelson entered the ring for his final throw to break the tie. He unleashed what looked to be initially a gold medal-winning 70-foot throw, but Nelson was flagged for stepping on the line to the left-front of the circle. Nelson protested vociferously to the officials at the time of the call, but later apologized for his emotional reaction.

With Nelson and Bilonog precisely tied on distance after six-rounds, the tie-breaker rule came into effect, counting the competitors' second-best throws. Because Nelson had fouled on each throw after the opening round, he had no second mark. Yuriy Bilonog was awarded the gold medal; Nelson was awarded his second consecutive Olympic silver medal. Nelson's shot put Silver was the first track and field medal for the United States in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Nelson's silver medal in the shot put at the 2004 Summer Olympics was upgraded to a gold medal retroactively in 2013 after Yuriy Bilonog's urine sample tested positive for [[Use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport|performance-enhancing drug use]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.legacy.usatf.org/athletes/bios/Nelson_Adam.asp| title = USA Track & Field - Adam Nelson}}</ref> With the advent of drug testing at international athletic competitions, it has become increasingly common for athlete disqualifications from placements in standings months or years after the event conclusions.

At the [[2005 World Championships in Athletics|2005 World Athletics Championships]], Nelson won his first major world title with a throw of {{convert|21.73|m|ftin|abbr=off|sp=us}}. Two years later, he won a silver medal at the [[2007 World Championships in Athletics|2007 World Athletics Championships]] with a throw of {{convert|21.61|m|ftin|abbr=off|sp=us}}. At the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in [[Beijing]], Nelson failed to throw a valid mark in the final. In the qualifying round, Nelson had a throw of {{convert|20.56|m|ftin|abbr=off|sp=us}}. At the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics|2009]] and [[2011 World Championships in Athletics|2011 World Athletics Championships]], Nelson failed to medal in the finals, finishing 5th and 8th place, respectively.

Nelson attempted to make the U.S. Olympic Team for a fourth time at the [[2012 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|2012 United States Olympic Trials]], but did not make the final round in wet conditions.<ref>Gordon, Ed (2012-06-24). [http://www.iaaf.org/Mini/OLY12/News/NewsDetail.aspx?id=65412 World record for Eaton, dramatic wins for Jeter and Harper in Eugene – US Olympic Trials, Day 2]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 2012-06-24.</ref>

==2013 elevation to Olympic gold medal==
In 2012, retroactive testing on competitors' urine samples retained from the 2004 Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee revealed that 2004 Olympic gold medalist [[Yuriy Bilonog]] of Ukraine was guilty of performance-enhancing drug use. In 2012, the IOC re-tested approximately 100 urine samples from specific events in the 2004 Games and found that four medal winners in Track and Field (both men and women, all in the throwing events) tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

On December 5, 2012, the IOC announced that men's shot put winner Bilonog, and women's shot put third-place finisher, [[Svetlana Krivelyova]] of Russia, re-tests showed positive for the steroid agent, [[Oxandrolone]]. Bilonog was stripped of his gold medal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.insidethegames.biz/1011831-olympic-shot-put-champion-among-athletes-who-tested-positive-at-athens-claims-german-tv-programme |title=Olympic shot put champion among athletes who tested positive at Athens, claims German TV programme - insidethegames.biz - Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games News |access-date=2012-11-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130072947/http://www.insidethegames.biz/1011831-olympic-shot-put-champion-among-athletes-who-tested-positive-at-athens-claims-german-tv-programme |archive-date=2012-11-30 }}</ref> The IOC, following established rules, allowed Bilonog (and the others disqualified) 21 days to appeal the ruling. Although no appeal was filed, the IOC waited another five months, to May 30, 2013, before declaring Adam Nelson the 2004 Olympic champion and awarding him the gold medal.

Nelson received his gold medal from a [[United States Olympic Committee]] official at an airport food court in [[Atlanta]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/behind-the-lines/2016/sep/01/olympic-games-usa-gold-medal-shot-put-burger-king |title=How it feels to be given an Olympic gold medal ... nine years later at a Burger King |last=Drennan |first=Jonathan |date=2016-09-01 |newspaper=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |access-date=2016-09-01}}</ref>

In 2017, Adam Nelson joined [[Michael Phelps]] in speaking before a U.S. Congressional committee examining anti-doping measures in international sporting events.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?424620-1/michael-phelps-testifies-doping-international-sports |title=International Anti-Doping Efforts |date=February 28, 2017 |work=C-SPAN }}</ref>

==Spin technique==
{{BLP unsourced section|date=September 2024}}
Nelson throws with his right arm, utilizing the "spin" technique to generate speed and power within the 7-foot-diameter (2.135-meter) throwing ring. While the "spin" is considered a more powerful style (because of its rotational speed), competitors have a greater tendency to foul compared to those who use the more traditional "glide" technique. Although throws are usually launched within the legal sector, spinners are more prone to lose their balance in their follow-through and to step on the front toe board (or, to have a foot come down to the side, on or over the ring's 7-foot circle line.) For example, at the 2004 Olympic Games, Nelson foot-fouled on five of his six rounds of throws, though he did still win the gold medal.

==Advertising==
During the early 2005 shot put season, Nelson solicited sponsors by wearing T-shirts reading "Space for Rent."  This culminated in May when Nelson found a sponsor in the amount of $12,000, slightly more than the donation Nelson had made to the [[World Anti-Doping Agency]] following his second Olympic silver medal, and prior to that Olympics' winner later being disqualified for positive drug test.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/26/AR2005052601394.html| title = The Going Price for a Shot Putter? $12,000| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> Nelson went on to win the [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|IAAF World Championships]] later that season (though he wore the USA uniform in that competition).

==Post-shot put career==
Since retiring from formal athletic competition, Nelson has trained top-level athletes in football, golf, baseball, and track and field.{{who|date=September 2024}}{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} He has worked for [[NBC Sports]] as an expert on field events. Nelson remains a strong advocate of clean sport competition and often speaks out against the use of performance-enhancing drugs in athletic competition.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

In 2017, Nelson moved to Houston with his wife and two kids, where he works for [[The D10]], an events organization, that like the Olympic movement, has found ways to leverage physical performance to create a massive social impact, raising over $12 million for pediatric cancer research and treatment.

In 2020, he returned to his alma mater to become the athletic director of The Lovett School.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/northside_sandy_springs/sports/nelson-returns-home-to-lead-lovett-athletics/article_b0603a24-3dfd-11ea-bf95-536f7fd69db9.html| title = Nelson returns home to lead Lovett athletics {{!}} Sports {{!}} mdjonline.com| date = January 23, 2020}}</ref>z

In 2025, he announced his position on the USOPC, the United States Olympic Comity. 

In 2025, he announced he accepted a job at Hoffman & Hoffman in Georgia.

==Major competition record==
[[File:Adam Nelson.jpg|thumb|150px|Nelson following his second-place finish at the 2007 World Championships]]
{| {{AchievementTable}}
|-
!colspan="5"|Representing the {{USA}}
|-
|1994
|[[1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]
|[[Lisbon]], Portugal
|bgcolor=gold| 1st
|[[1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put|18.34 m]]
|-
|1999
|[[Athletics at the 1999 Summer Universiade|Universiade]] 
|[[Palma de Mallorca]], Spain
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|[[Athletics at the 1999 Summer Universiade – Men's shot put|20.64 m]]
|-
|2000
|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] 
|[[Sydney]], Australia
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|21.21 m]]
|-
|rowspan=3|2001
|[[2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]] 
|[[Lisbon]], Portugal
|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd
|[[2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships|20.72 m]]
|-
|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] 
|[[Edmonton]], Canada
|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd
|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put|21.24 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 2001 Goodwill Games|Goodwill Games]] 
|[[Brisbane]], Australia
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|[[Athletics at the 2001 Goodwill Games – Results#Shot put|20.91 m]]
|-
|2003
|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] 
|[[Paris]], France
|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd
|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put|21.26 m]]
|-
|2004
|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] 
|[[Athens]], Greece
|bgcolor=gold| 1st 
|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|21.16 m]]
|-
|2005
|[[2005 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] 
|[[Helsinki]], Finland
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|[[2005 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put|21.73 m]]
|-
|2007
|[[2007 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] 
|[[Osaka]], Japan
|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd
|[[2007 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put|21.61 m]]
|-
|2008
|[[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] 
|[[Beijing]], China
|{{n/a}}
|[[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|NM]]
|-
|2009
|[[2009 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] 
|[[Berlin]], Germany
|5th
|[[2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put|21.11 m]]
|-
|2011
|[[2011 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] 
|[[Daegu]], South Korea
|7th
|[[2011 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put|20.29 m]]
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{USATF|Adam-Nelson}}
* {{Team USA|new_id=adam-nelson|old_id=NE/Adam-Nelson|archive=20230318125215}}
* {{Olympics.com profile}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040924054434/http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2000/sept00/nelson.html |date=September 24, 2004 |title=Article about the 2000 Olympics on Dartmouth College website}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer World Champions Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer World Junior Champions men's shot put}}
{{Footer WBYP Shot Put Men}}
{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in men's shot put}}
{{Footer US NC shot put Men}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 2000 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 2004 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 2008 Summer Olympics}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Adam}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American men shot putters]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Dartmouth Big Green football players]]
[[Category:Dartmouth Big Green men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Lovett School alumni]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Atlanta]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1999 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]