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Hall of Famers

Hall of Famer

NANCY GREENE RAINE

Inducted in 1967

Member Details

Date of Birth: May 11, 1943
Place of Birth: Ottawa, Ontario
Sport: Alpine Skiing
Member Category: Athlete

Career Highlights

1959-1968

Member, National Ski Team

17 Canadian Championship Ski Titles, 3 US Ski Championship Titles

1967

Won World Cup title

Lou Marsh Trophy

1968

Grenoble Olympic Games- gold medal in giant slalom and silver medal in slalom event

Won World Cup title

Lou Marsh Trophy

1992

Inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame

1999

Named Canada's Female Athlete of the Century by Canadian Press

Hall of Famer NANCY GREENE&nbspRAINE
Sport

Story

Nancy Greene is a name that has also come to symbolize the essence of a true sporting hero. It is a name that has been adopted by the most prestigious ski league in the country as well as several of the nation's finest ski lodges in honour of the woman who stands as a national icon and an unparalleled champion. "Ski Queen" Nancy Greene is Canada's most celebrated skier as well as the nation's most active Rocky Mountain ambassador. Over the course of her nine-year career, Greene raced all over the mountain ranges of Europe, North America, and South America. She was a member of the Canadian national ski team from 1959-68 during which time she held 17 national titles, three U.S. titles, and competed in three Olympics-1960, '64, and '68. Green's first big victory came in 1967 when she claimed the World Cup championship title, winning the final race by a mere seven-hundredths of a second (0.07). Her most memorable performance was at the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France. Not only did she win a silver medal in the slalom race, but she also captured a gold medal in the giant slalom event. Greene finished 2.68 seconds ahead of the silver medalist in this race, a margin that was so wide that it took several seconds for the official Olympic clocks to catch up with her and display her winning time. She was thereafter jokingly accused of "breaking the timing clock." With another year of victories under her belt, Greene easily held her title at the 1968 World Cup. In two years of World Cup races, she amassed a total of 13 victories, the most ever achieved by a Canadian. For her outstanding achievements, Greene received the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's athlete of the year in both 1967 and 1968. She received the Order of Canada as well as the Order of the Dogwood, British Columbia's highest award, in 1968. Greene retired at the age of 24, but she and her husband Al Raine continue to dedicate their lives to skiing. As a result of their hard work at Whistler and Sun Peaks resorts, they have been instrumental in the development and promotion of ski tourism in British Columbia and have played a significant role in putting the Canadian Rocky Mountains on the map as one of the word's finest ski destinations. In 1999, Greene was named Canada's female athlete of the century not only for of her outstanding athletic accomplishments and her continued contribution to her sport but also for the determination, sportsmanship, and good spirit that her name inspires in young athletes.