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Christie Raleigh Crossley

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Christie Raleigh Crossley
Personal information
Born (1987-06-20) June 20, 1987 (age 37)
Home townToms River, New Jersey, U.S.
Sport
SportParalympic swimming
Disability classS9
Medal record
Women's paralympic swimming
Representing  United States
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris 100 m backstroke S9
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris 100 m butterfly S9
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris 50 m freestyle S10
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris 100 m freestyle S9
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Mixed 4×100 m freestyle relay 34pts
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Manchester 100 m backstroke S9

Christie Raleigh Crossley (born June 20, 1987) is an American Paralympic swimmer. They will represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.

Early life and education

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Raleigh grew up playing several sports, including playing in the boys' leagues for basketball and baseball. In middle school they made the decision to focus on swimming, with dreams of making the Olympic team. At Toms River High School South, they were a state champion and became the second freshman in state history to become the state record-holder in any swimming event.[1] They moved to Florida when they were 15 to attend Pine Crest School, where they were a four-time high school state champion in Florida.[2]

After graduating from Pine Crest, they received a scholarship to swim for Florida State University. They competed there for two years, earning multiple accolades including Athletic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Year, and two back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American honors. An opportunity arose to finish out their NCAA career at Auburn University. Instead, they got married, and three months later was pregnant with their first daughter. They then transferred to Rowan University where they won an NCAA Division III national title in the butterfly.[3][4]

Career

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On March 12, 2023, at the Citi Para Swimming World Series, Raleigh Crossley set a world record in the 50 metre backstroke S9 event with a time of 32.01.[5] They then represented the United States at the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships, where they won a gold medal in the 100 metre backstroke S9 event.[6]

On June 30, 2024, they were named to team USA's roster to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[7]

Personal life

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In 2007 Raleigh Crossley was hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street and suffered three herniated discs in their neck and one in their lower back. In 2008 they were involved in another accident where they were hit by a car as a pedestrian. The blunt force trauma triggered a non-cancerous tumor to start developing in their brain, and as a result they began to lose function on the left side of their body.[8]

On December 12, 2018, while on a ski trip with their family, Raleigh Crossley's son picked up what he thought was a snowball and struck them in the head. The snowball was actually a ball of ice, and they sustained a traumatic brain injury. They experienced paralysis on their left side due to the bleeding of a previously unknown blood tumor in their brain. On January 7, 2019, they had the tumor removed.[3][9]

Raleigh Crossley is married and has three children.[10] They are non-binary using she/her and they/them pronouns.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Baldwin, Chris. "Taking the Fast Lane", Asbury Park Press, December 25, 2022. Accessed July 5, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Dream season does not begin to describe what Christie Raleigh accomplished down the stretch of their freshman year at Toms River South.... They shattered the state record in the 50-meter freestyle, twice in two days at the Meet of Champions, a record that had stood for 11 years. They are only the second freshman in the history of New Jersey high school swimming to set a state record."
  2. ^ "Christie Raleigh Crossley". teamusa.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c McDougall, Chrös (July 29, 2023). "Christie Raleigh Crossley's Long Journey To The Olympics Could Instead Lead To The Paralympics". teamusa.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Gerstner, Joanne C. (August 17, 2023). "Chasing Big Dreams Never Stopped For Christie Raleigh Crossley, No Matter The Obstacle". usparaswimming.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Johnson, Annika (March 26, 2023). "Christie Raleigh-Crossley Breaks S9 50 Back World Record at Italy World Series". swimswam.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Gowdy, Kristen (August 5, 2023). "Long, Raleigh Crossley crowned world champions on penultimate night of competition in Manchester". usparaswimming.org. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Gowdy, Kristen (June 30, 2024). "U.S. Paralympics Swimming Roster Announced for 2024 Paralympic Games". usparaswimming.org. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  8. ^ "A Dream Come True: Christie Raleigh Crossley '05 on the Road to the 2024 Paralympic Games". pinecrest.edu. March 20, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Rachinsky, Jack (June 29, 2024). "Paralympic swimmer Christie Raleigh Crossley may be close to achieving longtime athletic dream". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  10. ^ Rachinsky, Jack (July 5, 2024). "Paralympic swimmer Christie Raleigh Crossley achieves longtime athletic dream". The Highlands News-Sun. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
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