Nikki Stone '97, who used her training in psychology at Union College to visualize her spectacular gymnastic jumps on skis, no longer has to visualize wearing an Olympic gold medal.
The Westborough, Mass., native began celebrating her win from the moment she landed a twisting triple somersault in the women's freestyle aerials at the Nagano Olympic Games on Feb. 18.
“It's my dream,” she said through tears after the event. “Everything I dreamed of since I was five years old when I was in the gym training saying, 'I'm going to win a gold medal someday.' I can't believe this.”
With three jumpers left to go, Stone's combined score of 193 points gave her a solid lead that no one would catch. Xu Nannan of China took the silver medal with 186.97 points. Colette Brand of Switzerland took the bronze with 171.83 points. Stone was in the lead after her first jump – a back-full-double-full – with 98.15 points.
Stone finished the World Cup season on a high note on March 13, clinching the women's overall aerials title with a second place finish in Altenmarkt, Austria. “If you'd asked me a year ago if I'd be holding a crystal globe (symbolic of the World Cup championship) and an Olympic gold medal, I'd have said, 'No way.' It feels pretty good. It's been a good year,” Stone said. “I definitely wanted to win the overall.”
Stone, 27, graduated from Union last spring magna cum laude with a degree in psychology. (CBS incorrectly announced she received a degree from the University of Utah, where she has taken courses.)
In the day after her win, Stone was busy with the media, appearing on CBS This Morning and on a Late Night interview with David Letterman's mother. Locally, a number of reporters came to campus to get student reaction.
Stone was drawn to Union by family history; she is a descendent of Eliphalet Nott. She said she also found the College's trimester schedule allowed her to take leave during winter terms for World Cup events.
To read more about Stone's victory on CNN, click here.