Callan Chythlook-Sifsof

Callan Chythlook-Sifsof (born February 14, 1989) is an American Olympic snowboarder who has competed in snowboard cross since 2005. She is a Yupik/Inupiaq. She is the first native of Alaska to compete in the Olympics.

Callan Chythlook-Sifsof

Chythlook-Sifsof in 2012
Personal information
Born	February 14, 1989 (1989-02-14) (age 36) Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.
Sport
Sport	Snowboarding
Medal record Women's snowboarding Representing the  United States Winter X Games 2011 Aspen Snowboard Cross

Biography

Early life

Chythlook-Sifsof grew up in Aleknagik (a rural fishing village of about 300 people, on the coast of the Bering Sea) and Dillingham, Alaska; she moved with her mother to Girdwood, Anchorage, Alaska to be closer to the Alyeska Resort.^[1][2][3] She is a Yupik/Inupiaq Eskimo.^[4]

2006–14

In 2006, she was invited to her first Winter X Games competition and won a silver medal in 2011.^[5] She won the U.S. National Championships in Tamarack, Idaho, in 2007.^[4] In 2008, she won the Jeep King of the Mountain World snowboard series in Sun Valley, Idaho.^[6] Her best World Cup finishes were 3rd place in Furano, Japan, in 2006, and 2nd place in Arosa, Switzerland, in 2011.^[7][8] She did not compete in 2009 due to a knee injury.^[4][3]

It was announced on January 26, 2010, that Chythlook-Sifsof made the 2010 U.S. Winter Olympic Team. She placed 21st in the qualifying round of women's snowboard cross, and did not advance.^[9][10] It was the first time a native of Alaska competed in the Olympics.^[3]

In 2012, she had two top-ten World Cup finishes, but then suffered a knee injury that sidelined her for the rest of the season.^[4] In 2014, she retired from snowboarding after three back-to-back knee surgeries, and then injuring her knee again.^[1]

In February 2014, during the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, Russia, for which she did not qualify, Chythlook-Sifsof came out publicly as gay, saying she did so in support of ongoing protests of Russia's anti-LGBTQ laws.^[11] She stated "it's important to come out and take a stand and show the world that it's not OK to be a bigot."^[11]

2015–present

In February 2022, Chythlook-Sifsof made posts on Instagram during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics accusing Peter Foley, who coached the U.S. Snowboard team from 1994 to 2022, of sexual misconduct.^{[12][13][14][15][16]} She wrote, "I cannot watch another Olympic Games without saying this publicly."^[17][18] Foley denied the allegations.^[14][15][1] USSS immediately implemented an "athlete safety plan" that prohibited Foley from having "one-on-one interaction with female athletes," and from going into an athlete village.^[15][16] He was placed on leave by USSS on February 21, temporarily suspended by SafeSport, and then dismissed by USSS on March 20, 2022.^{[19][20][15][21][16]} By August 2022, at least five women had made reports to SafeSport regarding Foley's behavior.^[22]

On August 8, 2023, after an 18-month investigation, SafeSport suspended Foley for ten years for sexual misconduct.^[23][24][25]

Awards

• Outsports’ 2022 Female Hero of the Year.^[26]