Carson, CA - 1984: (L-R) Mark Gorski, Nelson Vails, Men's Track cycling Sprint competition, Olympic Velodrome, at the 1984 Summer Olympics, August 1, 1984. (Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
Longtime sportscaster Bill Flemming and speed skating legend Eric Heiden provide an indepth assessment and preview of the men’s cycling 1000m sprint finals between USA Mark Gorski and USA Nelson Vails prior to their heads-up race for the gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics.
Mark Gorski was a member of the 1980, 1984 and 1988 US Olympic Cycling Teams….and won the gold medal in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles in the 1000 meter sprint cycling event….then was inducted into the U.S. Cycling Hall of Fame in 1995.
Nelson Vails is a retired road and track cyclist from the United States….who rode as a professional from 1988 to 1995….while representing the USA at the 1984 Summer Olympics…. where he won the silver medal in the 1000m sprint behind countryman Mark Gorski. Vails was the first African-American cyclist to win an Olympic medal….who was inducted to the US Bicycle Hall of Fame in 2009.
Vails was also seen as a New York bicycle messenger in the film Quicksilver….when he didn’t just play a bicycle messenger….but actually worked as one in New York City….where his nickname was “The Cheetah.”
