Ashley Nee (born June 15, 1989)[1][2] is an American slalom kayaker who has competed at the international level since 2004.[3]

Ashley Nee
Nee in 2018
Personal information
Born (1989-06-15) June 15, 1989 (age 35)
Darnestown, Maryland, United States
Height1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight54 kg (119 lb)
Sport
Country United States
SportCanoe slalom
EventK1, Extreme K1
Medal record
Women's canoe slalom
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Toronto K1

Early life and education

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Nee is from Darnestown, Maryland.[4] She began paddling after a chance encounter at Valley Mill Camp at the age of 10 and participated in racing when she was 12 years old.[5] Nee attended Northwest High School. She attended University of Hawaii before transferring to University of Maryland, College Park[6] to pursue a degree in kinesiology.[7] Nee was an emergency medical technician in Montgomery County, Maryland.[8]

Career

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Nee trains at the Dickerson Whitewater Course. In 2008, Nee qualified the berth for the 2008 Summer Olympics but was unable to win the spot due to a shoulder injury.[9] She won the overall World Cup title in Extreme K1 in 2019. Nee won bronze at the 2015 Pan American Games.[8] She finished in 14th place in the K1 event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[10]

World Cup individual podiums

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Season Date Venue Position Event
2019 15 June 2019 Lee Valley 3rd Extreme K1
23 June 2019 Bratislava 1st Extreme K1
1 September 2019 Markkleeberg 2nd Extreme K1

Personal life

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Nee is openly gay.[10][11] She is married to Ashley McEwan.[12][13] They met in 2008 while Nee was working at a summer camp.[14] She moved to Hawaii with her wife in 2008 to get a break from paddling and racing. They moved back to Maryland in 2012.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Ashley Nee". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  2. ^ "Ashley Nee". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  3. ^ "Ashley NEE (USA)". CanoeSlalom.net. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  4. ^ "ASHLEY NEE". TeamUSA.org. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Walker, Childs (June 6, 2016). "Maryland native Ashley Nee preparing for first Olympics on U.S. canoe and kayak team". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  6. ^ Shih, Karin (August 2, 2016). "Paddle to the Medal". Terp Magazine. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  7. ^ Roberts, Diane (August 8, 2016). "Darnstown's Ashley Nee moves on in Rio". WUSA. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Kim, Hairston. "Ashley Nee, canoe slalom". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  9. ^ "Persistence Pays Off for Olympic Kayaker Ashley Nee". NBC News. August 8, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Zeigler, Cyd (August 11, 2016). "Out American kayaker Ashley Nee finishes 14th". Outsports. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  11. ^ "Memo: Gay Men Are Not The Only Queer Olympians Worth Celebrating". them. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  12. ^ Bernstein, Daniel (August 4, 2016). "She quit when she didn't make the 2008 Olympics. Now this UMD kayaker is going to Rio". The Diamondback. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  13. ^ Schupp, Karin (August 7, 2016). "Noch mehr lesbische Sportlerinnen in Rio". L-Mag (in German). Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  14. ^ "Out Olympic Hopeful Tells Inspiring Story of Rediscovering Love of Her Sport - Athlete Ally". Athlete Ally. March 24, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2018.