Crystl Bustos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Crystl Bustos

Personal information
Nickname(s)	The Big Bruiser
Born	September 8, 1977 (1977-09-08) (age 47) Canyon Country, California, U.S.
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Sport
College team	Palm Beach Panthers
Medal record Women's softball Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney Team competition Gold 2004 Athens Team competition Silver 2008 Beijing Team competition World Championship Gold 2006 Beijing Team competition Pan American Games Gold 1999 Winnipeg Team competition Gold 2003 Santo Domingo Team competition Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team competition World Cup 1st 2006 Oklahoma City Team competition 1st 2007 Oklahoma City Team competition National Pro Fastpitch 1st 2005 season Akron Racers

Crystl Irene Bustos (born September 8, 1977) is a famous American softball player. She is often called The Big Bruiser because of her powerful hitting. Crystl is known for playing as a designated hitter (someone who only bats) or at third base. She has won two gold medals at the Olympic Games. She also holds a world record for hitting the most home runs in an Olympic series, with six!

Crystl Bustos: A Softball Star

Crystl Bustos was born in Canyon Country, California. This area is now part of Santa Clarita, California. She started playing softball when she was very young. Her first games were in the Canyon Country Little League. Later, she went to Palm Beach Community College.

Early Life and Amazing Career

Crystl's career is full of big wins. She was part of the U.S. Olympic softball team in 2008. They won a silver medal that year. This was a big moment because it was the first time the U.S. women's team had lost in 23 Olympic games.

She also helped her team win two World Cup Championships. These wins happened in 2006 and 2007. Crystl also earned three gold medals at the Pan American Games. These were in 1999, 2003, and 2007.

Olympic Glory and Other Wins

In 2006, she won a gold medal at the 2006 ISF World Championships. Crystl also played for the NPF team, the Akron Racers. In 1998, she was named the Most Valuable Player for the Orlando Wahoos. This was in the WPSL.

After the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Crystl said she would stop playing internationally. However, she was named the 2008 USA Softball Player of the Year. In 2009, she became the field manager (like a coach) for the Akron Racers. But she decided to return to playing for the Racers in 2010.

Her Impressive Records

Crystl Bustos had an amazing career with the Team USA. In the 2000 Olympics, she played 10 games. She hit 2 home runs and had 4 RBIs (runs batted in). Her batting average was .270.

In the 2004 Olympics, she played 9 games. She hit 5 home runs and had 10 RBIs. Her batting average was even better at .346. She was a key player in these games.

During the 2008 Olympics, she played 9 games. She hit an incredible 6 home runs. She also had 10 RBIs. Her batting average was .500, which is very high. This is where she set the world record for Olympic home runs.

Overall, in 28 Olympic games, Crystl hit 13 home runs. She had 24 RBIs and a batting average of .353. These numbers show how powerful and consistent she was as a hitter.