| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Nelson Vails |
||
| Competitor for United States | ||
| Men's Cycling | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | LA 1984 | Individual Sprint |
| Pan American Games | ||
| Gold | Caracas 1983 | Individual Sprint |
Nelson Beasley Vails (born October 13, 1960 in New York) is a retired road and track cyclist from the United States, a professional rider from 1988 to 1994. He represented the USA at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, where he won the silver medal in the individual sprint, behind countryman Mark Gorski. He also raced for the USA in the UCI Track World Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1986.
Vails was also seen as a New York bicycle messenger in the movie Quicksilver (film).
He didn't just play a bicycle messenger in "Quicksilver," he worked as one in Manhattan. His nickname was "The Cheetah."[1]