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Cristina Teuscher 200 Freestyle 400 Freestyle 200 Individual Medley 400 Individual Medley |
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Cristina first emerged on the national swimming scene in 1992. She improved rapidly during her freshman and sophomore years of high school, and qualified for the 1994 U.S. World Championship team, finishing second in the 400-meter freestyle at the World Championships. Her breakthrough performances in 1994 were followed by three gold medals at the 1995 Pan American Games.
In 1996, Cristina won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the Women's 800-meter freestyle relay. Swimming the second leg of the relay, Cristina moved the team into first place, establishing a lead that would not be relinquished. She swam not only the fastest split time on the relay, but also the fastest split ever recorded by an American woman.
Since 1996, Cristina has enjoyed continued success. She began college at Columbia University in the fall of 1996, and in 1998 became Columbia's first ever NCAA swimming champion. She competed in the Goodwill Games and the World Championships in 1998, and was selected by her teammates as a captain of the 1999 U.S. Pan Pacific Games team.In the spring of 2000, Cristina won the Honda Award as the female college scholar-athlete of the year, and she graduated from Columbia University in May. She is continuing to train in preparation for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
Cristina has been able to remain at the top of the sport in large part because of her sharp competitive instincts and a work ethic that few can match. "In the bug world, Cristina would be a praying mantis. She's a great competitor and she always wants to win," said John Collins.
But her appeal is based on more than just her ability to swim fast. Collins noted, "She has the looks, the personality, and the attitude which combine to give her a superstar quality."
Despite all of her success, Cristina is as well known for her friendly, down-to-earth demeanor as she is for her swimming dominance. Diana Caskey, who coached Cristina at Columbia, remarked, "It was said about her during the Olympics that she was one of the nicest people on the team, that the whole team really liked her. And I can see why. She's incredibly down to earth - so unassuming, such a warm, kind person. And there's nothing insincere about it."