Edward Nichols (11 October 1923 – 17 December 2020) was a New Zealand alpine skier who represented his country at the

1980 Winter Paralympics The 1980 Winter Paralympic Games ( no, Paralympiske vinterleker 1980; nn, Paralympiske vinterleikane 1980), the second Winter Paralympics, were held from 1 to 7 February 1980 in Geilo, Norway. Eighteen countries took part with 299 athletes. A d ...

Biography

Born in Knutsford,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, England on 11 October 1923, Nichols grew up with his mother, who was a butcher, and older sister in a single-parent family. At the age of 17 years, he was involved in a motorcycle accident that led to his left leg being amputated below the knee. He bought his own butcher's shop, which he ran for about four years, before emigrating to New Zealand in 1949. After settling in Christchurch, Nichols married Shirley Margaret Cocks in December 1950, and the couple went on to have five children. During their working lives, Ed and Shirley Nichols owned seven butchers' shops, and also managed a number of stores for the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company. Nichols was already a capable ice skater when he arrived in New Zealand, and after joining the Canterbury Winter Sports Club based at

Mount Cheeseman Mount Cheeseman is a club snowfield in New Zealand's South Island, near the town of Springfield, about an hour and a half (111km) from Christchurch. Situated in a south-east-facing basin, it features two T-bar lifts and one learner tow. The r ...

, he also became an accomplished alpine skier, winning the club

downhill Downhill may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Downhill'' (1927 film), a British film by Alfred Hitchcock * ''Downhill'' (2014 film), a British comedy directed by James Rouse * ''Downhill'' (2016 film), a Chilean thriller directed by Patrici ...

title. In 1980, Nichols represented New Zealand in the men's 2A class giant slalom and slalom at the

in Geilo, Norway. Nichols died in Christchurch on 17 December 2020, having been predeceased by his wife, Shirley, in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Ed 1923 births 2020 deaths People from Knutsford English emigrants to New Zealand Sportspeople from Christchurch New Zealand male alpine skiers Amputee category Paralympic competitors Alpine skiers at the 1980 Winter Paralympics Paralympic alpine skiers for New Zealand