|
Cristina Teuscher, CC'00, can book her flight to Sydney.
Teuscher, one of Columbia's most accomplished athletes, displayed her desire to reach this summer's Olympic games with a convincing victory in the finals of the 200-meter individual medley at Saturday's Olympic trials in Indianapolis, capturing a chance to add to the gold medal she won at the Atlanta games in 1996.
Teuscher touched the wall in 2:13.36 (the world's fourth-fastest time this year), well ahead of Gabrielle Rose, who was second at 2:14.95. She controlled the race from start to finish and went on to record her career best time in the 200 IM by eight-tenths of a second.
The victory was an achievement on several levels. A shocking third-place finish (only the top two finishers in each event qualify for Olympic berths) in the 400-meter individual medley last Wednesday put her Olympic hopes in jeopardy. Teuscher had been the clear favorite in the 400 IM, having posted the event's fastest time by an American in the past three years at last year's Pan Pacific Championships.
The result of the 400 IM left Teuscher frustrated with unrealized expectations. She told Newsday, "[It] got me angry. I was ticked off." Still, she would get a second chance; the 200 IM could erase some of her disappointment.
John Collins, Teuscher's longtime coach from the Badger Swim Club in Larchmont, N.Y, believes the loss sent her a distinct message. "I don't think she concentrated enough to do what she had to do," Collins told the New York Times. "It was a wakeup call. Everyone needs that once in a while."
Fortunately, Teuscher heard the wakeup. Responding to advice from Collins and fellow Olympians Jenny Thompson, a five-time gold medalist, and Summer Sanders, a silver and bronze winner, she swam with confidence and aggression, reminding spectators why she never lost an individual race in four years of collegiate competition.
"I think it was important to redeem myself," Teuscher said in a Journal News interview. "I knew I could go faster in the 400 IM. For me, [the 200 IM] was to prove to myself that I could get up after being down. I'm proud of it because it's something you can relate to in life."
Teuscher was a member of the gold-medal winning 800-meter freestyle relay at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She also owns five medals from the 1998 Goodwill Games and three from last year's Pan Pacific Championships. The Columbia College psychology major graduated last May with a 3.4 GPA and is the recent recipient of the Honda-Broderick Cup, for the nation's outstanding collegiate woman's athlete.
|
