Alex Pullin
Pullin in 2010
Personal information
NicknameChumpy
Born(1987-09-20)20 September 1987
Mansfield, Victoria, Australia
Died8 July 2020(2020-07-08) (aged 32)
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Height185 cm (6 ft 1 in) (2014)[1]
Weight87 kg (192 lb) (2014)
Life partnerEllidy Pullin
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportSnowboarding
EventSnowboard Cross Men
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking2nd
Medal record
Men's snowboarding
Representing  Australia
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 La MolinaSnowboard cross
Gold medal – first place 2013 StonehamSnowboard cross
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Sierra NevadaSnowboard cross
Winter X Games
Silver medal – second place2016 Aspen Snowboard cross
New Zealand Winter Games
Gold medal – first place 2011 Cardrona Snowboard cross
Updated on 31 January 2016.

Alex Pullin (20 September 1987 – 8 July 2020), nicknamed Chumpy,[2][3] was an Australian snowboarder who competed at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics.[4] He was a two-time snowboard cross (boardercross) world champion.[2]

Early life

Pullin was born on 20 September 1987 in Mansfield, Victoria.[2] He started snowboarding at a young age, and came to prefer snowboard cross, because he considered it "the most pure form of competition".[2] His parents owned a ski hire shop.[5]

Career

Pullin competed for Australia at the 2010 Winter Olympics in snowboard cross (boardercross). He had the fastest qualifying time (1:20.15) in his event,[6] but was eliminated in the first round of competition, finishing in 17th place by virtue of his qualifying time.[7]

Pullin was the flag bearer for the Australian Winter Olympic team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia,[3][8] and competed in the men's snowboard cross. One of the favourites in that event, Pullin was eliminated in the quarterfinals.[1][9] The Australian government had given Pullin $500,000 in funding for the event, more than any other Australian competitor.[10] At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Pullin again competed in the Men's Snowboard Cross and came in sixth place, having crashed out during the final race.[11] He was the number one ranked competitor in the event according to the world rankings prior to the Games.[12] Fellow Australian Jarryd Hughes came second at the event, but Pullin did not congratulate him due to a personal feud between them.[13]

Aside from the Olympics, Pullin began competing in the Winter X Games in 2008. He won a silver medal in the 2016 event in Aspen, Colorado, United States.[11][14] He won the snowboard cross events at the 2011 and 2013 FIS Snowboarding World Championships,[15] making him the first Australian to defend a Snowboarding World Championships title.[16] Pullin also won the overall snowboard cross title in the 2010–11 FIS Snowboard World Cup and the 2012–13 FIS Snowboard World Cup.[17] In 2011, he won a gold medal at the New Zealand Winter Games.[16]

In 2011, he became an ambassador for Suzuki Australia as part of a sponsorship with the vehicle manufacturer.[18] Outside of snowboarding, Pullin fronted a reggae band called Love Charli.[19]

In 2020, Pullin announced his retirement from the sport.[20]

Death

On 8 July 2020, Pullin drowned on the Gold Coast in Queensland, at the age of 32.[21] He was believed to have been spearfishing by himself at an artificial reef off Palm Beach.[21][22] Pullin's body was spotted on the ocean floor by a snorkeler.[21] Lifeguards attempted to resuscitate him using cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 45–50 minutes, but he did not recover.[21]

On 25 October 2021, fifteen months after Pullin's death, his partner Ellidy Pullin gave birth to their daughter, conceived by in vitro fertilisation.[23]

References

  1. 1 2 "Alex Chumpy Pullin". sochi2014.olympics.com.au. Australian Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bilton, Dean (8 July 2020). "Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin, dead at 32, led a life from the foot of Mt Buller to the top of the world". ABC News. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 Brown, Matt (6 February 2014). "Pullin announced as Australia's Sochi flag bearer". ABC News Sport. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  4. ↑ "Alex Pullin: Australian world-champion snowboarder dies". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "Vale 'Chumpy' Pullin, snowboarder supreme". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  6. ↑ "Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics | Olympic Video Medals News". Vancouver2010.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics | Olympic Video Medals News". Vancouver2010.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  8. ↑ Guy, Jack. "Two-time world champion snowboarder Alex Pullin dies in spearfishing accident". CNN. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  9. ↑ "No luck for Aussie men in Snowboard Cross | Sochi 2014". Sochi2014.olympics.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "Sochi Games: Did Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin deliver enough bang for the taxpayer buck?". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Winter Olympics: Jarryd Hughes wins silver for Australia in Pyeongchang snowboard cross final". ABC News. 15 February 2018. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  12. ↑ "Winter Olympics 2018: The top 10 Australian athletes to watch". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "Jarryd Hughes's Olympic silver shines light on Australian team rift". The Guardian. 16 February 2018. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  14. ↑ "Jarryd Hughes takes out gold at X-Games". Special Broadcasting Service. 1 February 2016. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  15. ↑ "Australian snowboarding world champion Alex Pullin dies while spearfishing in Queensland". The Daily Telegraph. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  16. 1 2 "Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin: The humble face of Aussie winter sports taken away far too soon". Fox Sports. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  17. ↑ "PULLIN Alex - Athlete Information". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  18. ↑ Alex Pullin Pro Snowboarder/Musician. "Alex Pullin Profile – Competition History". Espn.go.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  19. ↑ Winter Olympics: Big hopes on the slopes Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Qantas Travel Insider, February 2010.
  20. ↑ "Alex Pullin death: World champion snowboarder dies aged 32". The Independent. 8 July 2020. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin, Australian Olympic snowboarder, dies in spearfishing accident at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast". ABC News. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  22. ↑ "Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin dead: Champion snowboarder found unresponsive after drowning off Palm Beach". Nine News. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  23. ↑ "Minnie Alex Pullin makes her entrance, as Olympian's widow welcomes 'a little piece of Chumpy'". ABC News. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
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