Debbie Armstrong
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| Olympic medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s Alpine Skiing | |||
| Gold | 1984 | Giant Slalom | |
Deborah Rae ("Debbie") Armstrong (born December 6, 1963 in Salem, Oregon) is an American alpine skier. She was the United States' first gold medalist in the women's giant slalom, taking first at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
Armstrong was a multisport athlete at Garfield High School in Seattle, playing basketball and soccer from 1976-1980. After being named to the U.S. downhill team, she broke a leg, and was unable to compete. She finished second in the combined event in 1983 U.S. Nationals, and third in the 1983 World Cup super G.
At the Olympics, she became the first American woman to win a gold medal at skiing for 32 years, since Andrea Mead Lawrence's double gold at the 1952 Winter Olympics. Her success happened the same year that Phil Mahre and William Johnson became the first American men to win gold at skiing as well.
Since the Olympics, Armstrong has led various humanitarian causes, including the Debbie Armstrong Say No to Alcohol and Drugs Campaign; the SKIFORALL Foundation, which opens skiing events to the disabled; and Global ReLeaf Sarajevo, which seeks to reforest Sarajevo after the Bosnian war.
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| Olympic champions in women's giant slalom |
|---|
| 1952: Andrea Mead-Lawrence | 1956: Ossi Reichert | 1960: Yvonne Rüegg | 1964: Marielle Goitschel | 1968: Nancy Greene | 1972: Marie-Theres Nadig | 1976: Kathy Kreiner | 1980: Hanni Wenzel | 1984: Debbie Armstrong | 1988: Vreni Schneider | 1992: Pernilla Wiberg | 1994: Deborah Compagnoni | 1998: Deborah Compagnoni | 2002: Janica Kostelić | 2006: Julia Mancuso |
