5'4"
33
Cottonwood Heights, UT
Westminster College ‘21, Accounting
Faye Gulini Thelen was introduced to snowboarding at age 8 by her three older siblings at Snowbird resort. Initially reluctant about the sport, she persevered through the early challenges of learning and quickly developed a passion for riding. Despite being terrified, she won her first race and immediately knew competitive snowboarding would be a significant part of her life. At 14, she made the pivotal decision to pursue her Olympic dream, leaving her family and childhood home to move from Salt Lake City to Vail, Colorado, attending the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy.
Thelen competitive career began with her FIS debut in halfpipe at age 14 in Breckenridge, Colorado. She won her first FIS event in slopestyle in January 2008 at Park City, Utah. Her talent quickly translated to the world cup circuit, and by 2010, she had earned the results needed for Olympic qualification. At just 17 years old, she became the youngest snowboard cross athlete at the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010, finishing 12th in her debut. Following the Olympic Games, she captured second place at the FIS Junior World Championships in New Zealand. Her progress was interrupted in 2011 when she tore her ACL and meniscus, sidelining her for nine months.
After recovering, Thelen steadily climbed the world cup standings and secured her spot on the team for the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014. In Russia, she achieved her career-best Olympic finish, placing fourth in a dramatic final. Though she narrowly missed the podium, the performance solidified her status among the world's elite. Following Sochi 2014, she was invited to Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Olympic Committee's Best of U.S. Awards Show, where she met President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House. She continued competing at the highest level, earning her first world cup podium at Montafon in December 2017 and going on to collect multiple career world cup podiums, including second-place finishes at Cervinia in 2021 and Veysonnaz in 2022.
Following the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, Thelen took time away from competition to focus on starting a family. During her hiatus, Gulini remained connected to winter sports and discovered a new passion for pickleball. For the 2025-26 season, Thelen made her return to competitive snowboard cross, bringing her children Theo and Scarlett along for the journey.
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