... Claudia Poll (Olympic Gold Medalist) ...
by Infocostarica Staff

In Costa Rica, Claudia Poll Ahrens is not only a living legend, but also the sportswoman of the century. This twenty-seven year-old who learned to swim twenty years ago, has earned three world records as well as several medals in the Olympics. Her fame and accomplishments aren’t limited to the small country of Costa Rica or even to Central America, since she appears in renown sports magazines and programs as one of the world’s best swimmers.

Who is Claudia Poll Ahrens the person? She was born in Managua Nicaragua on December 21, 1972, but she acquired her Costa Rican citizenship on september 23, 1993 because of her long residence in the country. Poll started her swimming lessons in Cariari (Alajuela) at the age of seven, and since then there has been no stopping her. She trains for hours each day, starting before dawn, and even after achieving world records and medals, she strives to improve her technique. Her long time trainer, Francisco Rivas, has been responsible in large part for her success. Rivas also trained Claudia’s sister, Sylvia Poll, who was an impressive swimmer that obtained Costa Rica’s first medal in the Olympics. Claudia Poll possesses an amazonic figure, being 1.91 meters tall (6.37 feet) and weighing 71 kilos. Apart from being blessed with an impressive body, a perfect technique and an unyielding discipline, Claudia obtained a degree in Business Administration and is currently working in the Administrative Department of the Cariari Swimming Association. Claudia Poll would like to keep combining her two careers-Business Administration and Sports- in the future, and although she’s received numerous job offers, she’s taking her time to consider them.

Claudia Poll’s brilliant career began in 1989 when she entered the ranking because of her seven records in the Central American and Caribbean Competition. After this year, she earned medals and broke records in Venezuela, the United States Open, and in the Pan Pacific Competition in Kobe, Japan. The climax of her efforts came in the Atlanta Games of 1996, where she defeated the German world champion, Franziska van Almsick, thus winning the first Olympic Gold Medal for Costa Rica. In total, Poll has broken and established three world records, the first one in Brasil (1995), the second and third ones in Sweeden in 1997. In total, this outstanding swimmer has participated in 837 swims, 169 competitions and has obtained 621 medals and forty five trophies. Furthermore, she’s established 139 records- 50 national, 19 Latin American, 63 international, 3 world records and 4 in World Cups. The numbers speak for themselves about this young athlete’s success.

Despite her extensive and impressive career, Poll has plans for further competitions. Poll and her trainer plan to participate in less meets until the Sydney Olympics in 2000. This incredible swimmer has acquired more than medals and trophies during her two decades of dedication to this sport, since she claims that swimming has taught her many other things: “ To have discipline, patience and constancy are all important things that I have learned. I also learned to win, but the most important thing is that I learned to not win. My experiences gave me the opportunity to create bonds of friendship, to travel to different countries and to discover other cultures”. Poll possesses an outstanding list of swimming successes, but she’s also lucky to maintain a mental strength and determination that promise to yield future victories.