| Beth Coats | |
| Full Name: | Beth Jan Coats |
| Nationality: | American |
| Sport: | Biathlon |
| Birth Date: | 20 July 1966 |
| Birth Place: | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States |
Beth Jan Coats (born July 20, 1966) is an American former biathlete and cyclist.[1] She competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics and the 1994 Winter Olympics.[2] Coats was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and graduated from Eldorado High School.[3] She later suffered severe injuries in a climbing accident.[4]
In the 1980s, Coats went on a skiing trip in New Mexico, which resulted in her enrolling at Western State College and joining the cross-country ski team.[5] After learning how to use a .22 caliber rifle, Coats moved on to biathlon.[5] In 1993, Coats joined the National Guard, helping her to qualify to the United States Olympic team.[5]
Coats competed at two Winter Olympics, and in seven World Championships in biathlon.[1] Coats also competed professionally in mountain biking,[6] ranking tenth in the world as a professional,[5] finishing second overall in the US national championships in 1997,[1] and later became a mountain climber.[1] [7] However, while climbing in Eldorado Canyon State Park in 1998, Coats suffered a spinal cord injury during a fall, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.[1] [8] Despite suffering a spinal injury, Coats went on to climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.[1] [9]