Scott Neilson

Scott Neilson (born 31 January 1957) is a Canadian former track and field athlete who competed in the hammer throw. His personal best was , set in Seattle on 1 April 1978.

His greatest achievement was a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games. He was also a silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games in 1978 and was a seven-time NCAA champion while at the University of Washington.

Career He attended the University of Washington and competed for their Washington Huskies collegiate team. While there, he won four straight titles at the NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships from 1976 to 1979, including a championship record of . He also won three straight weight throw titles at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the same period. This made him the most successful athlete ever in the NCAA events.

He won four titles at the Canadian Track and Field Championships from 1976 to 1980, including a championship record of which remains unbeaten. Three years later at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, he became the first Canadian hammer medallist since George Sutherlandin 1934 by taking a silver medal behind Australia's Peter Farmer. The 1979 Pan American Games saw him become his nation's first winner in the event, with a winning throw of . Only shot putter Bruce Pirnie had won a Pan American gold among Canadian throwers. Despite this strong form, he was some way behind the form shown by the Soviets at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where Yuriy Sedykh set a new world record of . Neilson also competed at the IAAF World Cup event, representing North America, and came fifth in 1977 and fourth in 1981.

In 2025 Neilson was inducted into the track and field Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame.

International competitions

National titles USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Hammer throw: 1979 Canadian Track and Field Championships Hammer throw: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980 NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships Hammer throw: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships Weight throw: 1977, 1978, 1979