Jan Palchikoff (born March 3, 1951) is a multi-sport athlete born in

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...

Competition

She is a world-record holding cyclist in the master's division where she currently competes, and an Olympian who competed in the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

in rowing—finishing fifth in

double sculls A double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly ...

. She qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but was unable to compete due to the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and its allies later ...

. Palchikoff did however receive one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes. She rowed for UCLA.

Career

Palchikoff earned her master's degree in Sports Management from the University of Massachusetts and has served as head coach o
Syracuse University Women's Crew
from 1980 to 1982, and as an executive in a number of sports and athletics related organizations, including the

2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games The 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games were a multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual disabilities held in Los Angeles, United States from July 25 to August 2, 2015, in the tradition of the Special Olympics movement. These Game ...

, the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...

, and the World Rowing Championships.

Honors

Palchikoff was named to the Pac-12 Conference's All-Century team in Women's Rowing. She was elected into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

References

1951 births Living people Rowers at the 1976 Summer Olympics Olympic rowers for the United States Congressional Gold Medal recipients American female rowers 21st-century American women Sportspeople from Culver City, California {{US-rowing-bio-stub