Chris von Saltza

Chris von Saltza
von Saltza in 1961
Personal information
Full nameSusan Christina von Saltza
Nickname
"Chris"
National team United States
Born (1944-01-13) January 13, 1944
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight139 lb (63 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubSanta Clara Swim Club
CoachGeorge Haines
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1960 Rome 100 m freestyle
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1959 Chicago 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1959 Chicago 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1959 Chicago 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1959 Chicago 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1959 Chicago 4×100 m medley

Susan Christina von Saltza (born January 13, 1944), also known by her married name Christina Olmstead, is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in four events.

von Saltza on the cover of the July 21, 1958 issue of Sports Illustrated
von Saltza on the cover of the July 21, 1958 issue of Sports Illustrated

As an age group swimmer, von Saltza swam for coach George Haines' Santa Clara Swim Club and led the club to multiple team championships at the nationals, in addition to winning nineteen individual Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) titles.[1] She was featured on the July 21, 1958 cover of Sports Illustrated magazine as the "No. 1 U.S. Swimmer at the Age of 14."[2]

At the age of 16, she set the world record in the 400-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic trials, and proceeded to win four medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.[1] Individually, she won a gold medal in the women's 400-meter freestyle, and a silver in the 100-meter freestyle.[1] She won two more gold medals as a member of the winning U.S. teams in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay and 4×100-meter medley relay.[1] Both U.S. relay teams set new world records in their respective events.[1]

A year prior to the Olympics, von Saltza won five gold medals at the 1959 Pan American Games. Her wins came in the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter freestyle, as well as the 4×100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter medley relays.

Von Saltza later attended Stanford University, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Asian history. Stanford, like most major American universities, had no women's swimming and diving team prior to the enactment of Title IX, and von Saltza effectively retired from competition swimming after the 1960 Olympics.

In US, Christina was socially styled "the Baroness von Saltza," as her grandfather, Philip von Saltza, was member of the Saltza family of German origin, which is still part of the Swedish nobility. They immigrated to the United States at the turn of the 20th century, and she is still recognized by her title in the Who's Who of Swedish Nobility.

Von Saltza was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1966.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Chris von Saltza. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  2. ^ Sports Illustrated (July 21, 1958). Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  3. ^ "Chris von Saltza (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
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