Christilot Hanson-Boylen

Christilot Hanson-Boylen’s mother was Willy Blok Hanson, a famous Canadian dancer. This presented Christilot with an opportunity to work as a child actress on The Howdie Doodie Show. By the age of 10, she had earned enough money to buy a horse and, in 1964, she became the youngest-ever equestrian dressage Olympian when she finished 20th at the Tokyo Games (that record has been held by Brazil’s Luiza Almeida since 2008). She then competed in five more editions of the Olympics through 1992, missing only 1980 due to the Canadian boycott. Her best individual finish was 7th in 1976, the same year she was 5th with the Canadian team. She won a total of seven medals at the Pan American Games: individual gold in 1971, 1975, and 1987, team gold in 1971 and 1987, team silver in 1975, and team bronze in 1967.

As a coach, Hanson-Boylen’s students have included Canadian Olympians Belinda Trussell, Megan Lane, and Selena O’Hanlon. She also helped Canada host the first World Championships in North America in 1986, founded the Canadian Amateur Dressage Owners Association, and wrote three books on equestrianism. She received Equestrian Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 and retired from active competition later that year.