Claudia Poll facts for kids
Poll in 2011
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| Nationality |  Costa Rica |
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| Born | 21 December 1972 Managua, Nicaragua |
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| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Asociación de Natación Cariari | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Claudia María Poll Ahrens (born December 21, 1972) is a famous former swimmer from Costa Rica. She is also from Nicaragua. Claudia is best known for swimming in freestyle races, usually from 200 to 800 meters. She made history for Costa Rica by winning the country's first ever Olympic gold medal! This big win happened at the 1996 Olympics in the 200-meter freestyle event.
Claudia also won two bronze medals at the 2000 Olympics. She holds many national records in freestyle swimming for Costa Rica. She was the first person from Central America to win an Olympic gold medal. This was a huge achievement for her and her country!
Claudia's Swimming Journey
Starting Her Swimming Career
Claudia Poll started swimming in 1979. Her coach, Francisco Rivas, helped her become very good. Soon, she was one of the best swimmers in Central America. She won many titles in her region.
Olympic Gold in Atlanta 1996
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Claudia won a gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle. This was a very exciting moment! It was the first gold medal ever for Costa Rica at the Summer Olympic Games. Many people were surprised because she beat Franziska van Almsick, a strong swimmer from Germany.
More Medals at Sydney 2000
Claudia continued her success at the Sydney 2000 Games. She won two bronze medals there. She kept showing how talented she was in the pool.
Later Competitions and Challenges
In 2004, at the Athens Olympics, she almost made it to the 400-meter freestyle final. She finished ninth in the heats, just missing out.
In 2002, Claudia faced a temporary suspension from swimming competitions. She always said she was innocent and that there were problems with the tests. The international swimming organization later reduced the time she couldn't compete.
At the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games, Claudia set new records. She broke the Games Records in the 200 and 400 freestyle events. She even swam faster than her sister, Silvia, had done in 1986!
Working as a Sports Analyst
Claudia also shared her swimming knowledge on TV. She worked as a swimming expert for the Telemundo network. She helped explain the swimming events during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
About Claudia's Life
Family Background and Moving to Costa Rica
Claudia's parents are from Germany. They moved to Nicaragua before Claudia and her sister Silvia were born. Claudia was born in Managua, Nicaragua, in 1972. Soon after she was born, her family moved to Costa Rica. They decided it would be safer because of political issues and an earthquake in Nicaragua.
Education and Family Life
Claudia studied Business Administration. She graduated from the Universidad Internacional de las Américas in San José, Costa Rica, in 1998. On August 8, 2007, Claudia had her first child, a daughter named Cecilia.
A Family of Olympic Swimmers
Claudia's older sister, Silvia Poll, is also an Olympic swimmer. Silvia won Costa Rica's first Olympic medal ever, a silver medal, at the 1988 Games. As of 2021, Claudia and Silvia are the only people from Costa Rica to have won an Olympic medal. They are truly a family of champions!
Awards and Recognition
Claudia Poll has received many honors for her amazing swimming career:
- She was named "Honor Citizen" by the Costa Rican Congress in 1996.
- She was chosen as the Costa Rican Sportswoman of the Year many times. This happened in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000.
- She was named the Best Latin American Athlete in 1995, 1996, and 1997.
- Swimming World Magazine named her the 1997 World Swimmer of the Year.
- In 1999, she was declared Costa Rica's Athlete of the Century.
See also
In Spanish: Claudia Poll para niños
- World record progression 200 metres freestyle
- World record progression 400 metres freestyle
