Van Nelson (born November 24, 1945) is an American former

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. An Olympian in 1968, he won long-distance track doubles at both the 1967 World Student Games and the

1967 Pan American Games The 1967 Pan American Games were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967. Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on its second try. It first bid for the 1963 Games at the 1959 PASO meeting in Chicago ...

. Born in Minneapolis, Nelson attended Washburn High School and began competing in middle distance events there. He broke the school record for the mile run and was ranked fifth nationally as a high school runner in 1964. He graduated that year (later being inducted into the school's hall of fame) and went on to study at

St. Cloud State University St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Its enrollment in 2020 was approximately ...

. He competed collegiately for the

St. Cloud State Huskies The St. Cloud State Huskies are the athletic teams for St. Cloud State University. The university is primarily a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), and currently sponsors 18 NCAA Division II teams. SCSU also sponsors a ...

in NAIA competitions. He was the team's captain in both track and field and cross country and won seven titles and 12 All-American honours during his four years representing the institution. He was inducted into the St. Cloud Hall of Fame in 1983, featuring in the second group of athletes to be given the honour. At the Drake Relays, he won both the three-mile and six-mile races three times consecutively from 1966 to 1968. Interview with 1968 Olympian Van Nelson
Twin Cities Track Club/Chad Austin (2011-10-05). Retrieved on 2011-11-11. The 1967 season was the peak of Nelson's career. He won the Amateur Athletic Union six-mile title then completed a

5000 meters The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stand ...

10,000 meters The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ...

track double at the 1967 World Student Games. He repeated this feat at the

in Winnipeg, becoming the second man to complete the long-distance double after Argentina's Osvaldo Suárez.Van Nelson
Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2011-11-11.
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-11-11. Nelson made his Olympic debut in the 10,000 m at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

in Mexico City. He was not used to the hot conditions or altitude and his performance suffered as a result. In spite of being ranked eighth in the world for that event, he finished in 28th place with a time of 31:40.2 minutes. Although, he had not performed well, he was pleased to have represented his country at the competition. Nelson returned to his studies at St. Cloud State in 1969, but the year after he suffered a serious back injury due to heavy lifting and the surgery that followed impaired his running ability. He made his last international appearance in 1971 and retired thereafter, although he continued running for pleasure. Nelson has retired from his job as a health teacher, although he still substitute teaches. He still serves as a boys track and field coach at South View Middle School in Edina, Minnesota.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Van Living people 1945 births American male long-distance runners Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics St. Cloud State University alumni Track and field athletes from Minneapolis Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1967 Pan American Games Universiade silver medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1967 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games