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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Mackenzie Meaney

As One of the Most Diverse Paralympians to Compete, Alana Nichols Is Advocating for More

Alana Nichols is a natural-born competitor.

The Farmington, N.M. native grew up playing a multitude of sports, such as volleyball and basketball at her local YMCA. Nichols loved to play softball—she was even getting attention from schools in the Southwest—and in the winters, she would head to Colorado to snowboard.

In 2000, Nichols was out on the mountain for a snowboarding trip, when she went to do a backflip. The trick didn’t go as planned as Nichols over-rotated and landed directly on a rock, smashing her spine.

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