Beth Coats

Beth Jan Coats (born July 20, 1966) is an American former biathlete and cyclist.[1] She competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics and the 1994 Winter Olympics.[2] Coats was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and graduated from Eldorado High School.[3] She later suffered severe injuries in a climbing accident.[4]

Beth Coats
Personal information
Full nameBeth Jan Coats
NationalityAmerican
Born (1966-07-20) July 20, 1966
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Sport
SportBiathlon

Biography

In the 1980s, Coats went on a skiing trip in New Mexico, which resulted in her enrolling at Western State College and joining the cross-country ski team.[5] After learning how to use a .22 caliber rifle, Coats moved on to biathlon.[5] In 1993, Coats joined the National Guard, helping her to qualify to the United States Olympic team.[5]

Coats competed at two Winter Olympics, and in seven World Championships in biathlon.[1] Coats also competed professionally in mountain biking,[6] ranking tenth in the world as a professional,[5] finishing second overall in the US national championships in 1997,[1] and later became a mountain climber.[1][7] However, while climbing in Eldorado Canyon State Park in 1998, Coats suffered a spinal cord injury during a fall, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.[1][8] Despite suffering a spinal injury, Coats went on to climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.[1][9]

References
  1. "Beth Coats". Olympedia. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Beth Coats Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  3. Frentzel, Martin (February 10, 1992). "Local Biathlete Shooting for Medal". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved August 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Professional Cyclist Injured in Climbing Accident". National Spinal Cord Injury Association. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  5. "An unexpected life: The rise and fall of Beth Coats". Crested Butte News. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  6. "Furthermore". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  7. "Beth Coats, an ascent of El Cap". Mountain Zone. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  8. "Pro-Mountain Biker Beth Coats is Paralyzed". Mountain Zone. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  9. "Desperate measures". Boulder Weekly. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
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