Amber Marie Cnossen (née Welty; born April 24, 1967) is an American former track and field athlete who competed in the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

. She represented the United States at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

Career

Welty was born in

Salmon, Idaho Salmon is a city in Lemhi County, Idaho. The population was 3,112 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Lemhi County. Located in the Lemhi River valley, Salmon is home to the Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural and Education Center, wh ...

, United States. Amber graduated from Twin Fall High School in Twin Falls, Idaho. Amber attended Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. She was coached by Dave Nielsen, a world renowned coach and supporter of providing women an opportunity to compete in pole vaulting. Dave had the opportunity to coach the 1st official Olympic gold medalist in women's pole vaulting. Amber's first opportunity to compete against the best in the United States at the NCAA Division 1 Championships came in 1987. She finished third at the NCAA Championships with a jump of 1.86 m. In June 1988, Welty won the NCAA title with a career best of 1.92 m at the University of Oregon. Two weeks later, she finished third at the US National Championships, clearing 1.89 m. In July, at the Olympic trials in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, she was fifth with 1.90 m. In 1990, she won her third NCAA medal, finishing second to Angie Bradburn, both clearing with a jump of 1.89 m. In 1992, after ankle surgery (using the palmaris longus tendon from the wrist to transplant to the outside right ankle to make it stable) in October 1991 at the US National Championships in New Orleans, incorporating the Olympic trials, Welty finished second with 1.89 m, to earn Olympic selection, providing she could attain the qualifying standard of 1.92 m. She achieved this a week later at a meet in Boise. At the Barcelona Olympics, she cleared 1.88 m in the qualifying round to finish 27th overall. Welty also represented the US at the

1992 IAAF World Cup The 6th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 25–27, 1992, at the Estadio Panamericano in Havana, Cuba. Overall res ...

in Havana, held a month after the Olympics. There she cleared 1.75 m to finish sixth.

Achievements

*NCAA Champion (1988) – also 2nd (1990) & 3rd (1987) *US National Championships – 2nd (1992), 3rd (1988)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Welty, Amber 1967 births Living people American female high jumpers Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States People from Twin Falls, Idaho Track and field athletes from Idaho 21st-century American women NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners Idaho State Bengals women's track and field athletes