After losing a leg to cancer at age 12, she went on to win 10 world and 19 United States championships between 1986, and 1990 as a three-tracker, or one-legged skier.
Golden also won an Olympic gold medal in giant slalom at the 1988 Calgary Games, where disabled skiing was a demonstration sport.
[5] After college, she went to work for a local firm selling computer software before a friend reintroduced her to skiing and she rediscovered her love of it.
[4] Within a year of taking up skiing again, Golden had won four gold medals internationally, including three in the 1986 World Disabled Championships.
[8] Golden retired in 1990, but before this would win three gold medals at her last World Disabled Championships in 1990 at Winter Park Resort in Colorado.
[10] Golden recovered and resumed motivational speaking but would give this up for good in 1996 when she was again diagnosed with breast cancer, which was treatable but now incurable.
[4][8] The citation on her entry into the International Hall of Fame read "She persuaded the ski world to treat all athletes the same, regardless of ability or, in her case, disability.
[11] [12] The Diana Golden Opportunities Fund is the endowment that supports and encourages junior athletes with disabilities in their pursuit of excellence in skiing by providing scholarships for purchasing equipment or participating in an adaptive race or development camp.