Ski legend Nancy Greene Raine in treatment for thyroid cancer

Nancy Greene Raine is all smiles as she talks with Canadian ski coach Mike Syrovatka, left, at the bottom of the downhill race course at Beaver Creek, Colo., on Friday, Nov. 26, 1999. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Sen. Nancy Greene Raine, Canada's most decorated ski racer, is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer.

Sun Peaks Resort, where Greene Raine is the director of skiing, said she was scheduled to have her thyroid removed Wednesday in Kelowna, B.C. A news release said additional treatment will begin within four or five weeks to manage the suspected spread of cancer cells.

Nicknamed “Tiger” because of her speed and aggressive turns, Green Raine dominated women's skiing for two years. She won Olympic gold and silver in 1968 as well as overall World Cup titles in 1967 and 1968.

She was voted Canada's female athlete of the 20th century in a countrywide poll conducted by The Canadian Press in 1999.

Greene Raine won the giant slalom at the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France, by a blistering margin of 2.68 seconds. She also won silver in slalom and finished 10th in downhill after overcoming an ankle injury a month out from the Games that threatened to derail her medal chances.

She finished her World Cup career with 13 victories over a two-year span before retiring in 1968 at age 24.

Greene Raine blazed a trail for other top women skiers in Canada, with 1992 Olympic downhill champion Kerrin Lee-Gartner calling her a big influence.

A provincial park, lake and mountain summit near Rossland, B.C., where Greene Raine was raised, all bear her name.

Green Raine, who was appointed to the Senate in 2009, plans to return to her duties as soon as possible following her treatment.