MAY 20, 1969

INUPIAT NATIVE SPORTS CHAMPION NICOLE JOHNSTON BORN

Nicole, born in Nome, Alaska, was a famed competitor in the “Inuit Games” (traditional Inuit athletic games used to develop survival skills). At the 1982 Native Youth Olympics (NYO) she took 1st place in the Two-Foot High Kick (2FHK)–kicking with both feet at once an apple-size dangled sealskin-covered ball. Nicole competed from 1982 through 2004 at NYO, the World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO), and the Arctic Winter Games (AWG) winning over 100 medals and taking several outstanding athlete and sportsmanship awards. She set her 1st of several records in the 2FHK at the 1985 NYO. At the 1989 WEIO, she kicked 6’6”—a record that held for 25 years. Her record in the 2FHK at AWG, still holds at 6’5.” Nicole was inducted into both the Alaska Sports & Native American Indigenous Athletics Halls of Fame. The former chairwoman of WEIO, and current President of AWG Team Alaska, she works with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, coaching youth, training officials, and organizing Native Youth Olympics meets.

Sources:  

“Nicole Johnston,” Alaska Sports Hall Of Fame.  Retrieved 1/31/2023, Nicole Johnston - Alaska Sports Hall Of Fame

“Nicole Johnson,” Native American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame.  Retrieved 1/31/2023,  Nicole Johnson | NAIAHF

Photo: Denali National Park and Reserve, 6/29/2010. Public Domain.