Prince William
Famous Astronauts
Nelson Mandela
Kanye West
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Liberace
Leonardo DiCaprio
Annie Oakley
I Survived
1 photo
Quick Facts
Best Known For
Picabo Street won gold in the Super G women's skiing event at the 1998 Olympics.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowPicabo Street. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 03:11, Jun 18, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/picabo-street-224926.
Picabo Street. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/picabo-street-224926 [Accessed 18 Jun 2013].
"Picabo Street." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 18 2013, 03:11 http://www.biography.com/people/picabo-street-224926.
"Picabo Street," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/picabo-street-224926 [accessed Jun 18, 2013].
"Picabo Street," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/picabo-street-224926 (accessed Jun 18, 2013).
Picabo Street [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/picabo-street-224926.
Picabo Street, http://www.biography.com/people/picabo-street-224926 (last visited Jun 18, 2013).
Picabo Street. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/picabo-street-224926. Accessed Jun 18, 2013.
Synopsis
Olympic skier Picabo Street, named after a neighboring town, was born on April 3, 1971 in Triumph, Idaho. She was a tomboy and enjoyed competitive sports. She joined the U.S. ski team at age 15. Her most notable win was the gold medal in the Super G event at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Later that year, she broke her leg in multiple places after slamming into a fence at the World Cup. Though she qualified for the 2002 Olympics, Street finished only 16th in the women's downhill event,
and retired from competitive skiing soon after.
Early Life
Born on April 3, 1971 in Triumph, Idaho, Picabo Street was known as simply "Baby Girl" for the first few years of her life, and later ended up with the name Picabo (pronounced "peek-a-boo"), the name of a nearby town, which comes from a Native American word that means "shining waters" or "silver creek."
Once one of the leading downhill skiers in the world, Picabo Street won several Olympic medals and championships during her career.
Growing up near Sun Valley, a popular ski area, Picabo Street hit the slopes at an early age. She was a tomboy, playing sports with the boys and beating them whenever she could. A naturally talented downhill competitor, she joined the U.S. junior ski team when she was only 15 years old and went to train with the U.S. ski team. Street won the national junior downhill and super giant, or Super G, events in 1988.
Disturbed by her lack of discipline and poor physical condition and attitude, officials from the U.S. ski team suspended Picabo Street in 1990. In the face of this rejection, she went to Hawaii to train with her father. Street returned the next year, stronger and more committed to the sport. She proved to be a tough competitor, coming in third at the U.S. Championships that year and winning the Super G event at the U.S. Championships two years later.
Olympic Victories
By 1992, Picabo Street was ranked eighth in the world. Two years later, she had her first taste of Olympic victory, securing a silver medal in the downhill competition. Also in 1994, Street became the first American woman to win the World Cup women’s downhill competition. She earned the top spot again in downhill at the World Cup in 1996, but later endangered her dreams of Olympic gold when she injured her knee during a training run.
The recovery process-which included surgery and physical therapy-was long and difficult, but Picabo Street made it back to fighting form by the time of the 1998 Winter Olympics. All her hard work paid off. She won the gold medal in the Super G event.
Injuries
Unfortunately, Picabo Street didn’t have long to savor her victory when tragedy struck again at the World Cup in March 1998. During the competition, she slammed into a fence, breaking her leg in multiple places. Street had to endure several operations to fix the leg and was out of competition for more than a year. Despite this setback, she refused to give up and, after her recovery, committed herself to training.
profile name: Picabo Street profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Names We Like
View groupSometimes a person's name just rolls off your tongue is such a satisfying way, you can't help but say it again—especially when you see it in the headlines day after day. Here is a collection of some of our favorites.
Names We Like 23 people in this group
-
Famous Arians 536 people in this group
-
Olympic Medal Winners
View groupOlympic medal winners have wowed us with their athleticism and determination and have made history with some of the most unforgettable moments in sports history. From Bruce Jenner's 1972 world record victory lap to Michael Phelps's astounding eight medal sweep at the 2008 Beijing Games, these champions have proven they have what it takes to be the best. Here's a look at some of the most well-known medal winners from past and present Olympic Games.
Olympic Medal Winners 133 people in this group
