‘Proud Jersey Girl’ Christie Raleigh-Crossley Breaks 50m Free World Record Ahead Of Swimming Final

NANTERRE, France – It was an absolutely blazing Paralympic debut in her maiden swim.

Having aspired to compete at three Olympic Games, Christie Raleigh-Crossley broke the 50-meter freestyle S9 world record, clocking 27.28 seconds, 0.04 faster than the previous mark from 2019.

“I wouldn’t say that I saw it coming – I know what we’re capable of from the work that we’ve done, so I’m very happy that It happened,” Raleigh-Crossley told Team USA after the record-setting swim. “I just wanted to have fun, get that first swim out of the way. I think my coaches will be happy with that swim."

The 37-year-old mother of three children from Toms River, New Jersey, set the mark in Para swimming heats on Thursday morning at the La Defense Arena. 

“I still haven’t seen my kids – it’s been about a week and a half, so I was trying to find them in the stands when I rolled out, then I realized I should probably get ready and get on the blocks.

“I can’t really see the people around me when I’m swimming because I lose my vision, so I was just hoping that I was doing well,” she noted. 

She’ll go for gold in the women’s 50m freestyle S10 final on Thursday evening.

Raleigh-Crossley notes on her social media that she is a ‘Proud Jersey Shore Girl.’ She is also a diehard New York Yankees baseball fan, inspired by renowned Bronx Bombers sluggers Aaron Judge and Derek Jeter. 

“I’m a diehard New York Yankees fan – I actually had a dog named Bronxie Bomber,” she says, with a big laugh. “I have been a lifelong Yankees fan – my Dad was a Yankees fan, my grandfather was a Yankees fan. My kids love going to Yankees game and my son is big fan of Aaron Judge.”

Ruth and Gehrig aside, the New Jersey swimmer raced collegiately for both Florida State University and Rowan College near home in the Garden State, alongside her sister Lindsey, where she won an NCAA title. 

Raleigh-Crossley aspired to compete at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, but was injured in a car accident in 2007 and was unable to make it to China. 

After a divorce and giving birth to a baby, she then targeted the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, but another injury in 2014 ended her chances for Brazil. 

Raleigh-Crossley retained ambitions to compete at the Olympic Games after she acquired her impairment in late 2018. "I thought, 'Okay, I'm going to be that feel-good story of Tokyo (2020), I'm going to have a comeback from brain surgery, and I'm going to make the Tokyo (Olympic) Games.' So, I waited, I think it was six weeks before I could get back to the pool. I got back in the pool and I instantly was like, 'Why is my left arm not working?' So I was just like, okay, Olympics are over."

“I used to always think that the Olympics was the be all, end all, when you’re swimming and you’re a little kid, and then once that dream wasn’t going to happen after my injury I was super depressed, but thank god I found the Paralympic movement” Raleigh-Crossley said.

Raleigh-Crossley was declared eligible to compete at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in the S9 Para Swimming classification.

“Watching the Tokyo Olympics is when I learned that I was eligible, so worked with my doctors for the next six months to get ready to get back in the pool and we’ve been on this roller coaster ride since,” she said.

Her goals are greater than just gold medals.

“I hope the impact that I can make on the Paralympic movement would far exceeed what I could do in the Olympics,” Raleigh-Crossley said. “Now I have this awesome opportunity to do a lot more good for a lot more people – hopefully bring a lot more people into the Parlaympic movement who are like me, who didn’t know we were eligible.

“We see a lot of amputees, a lot of vision-impaired, you don’t usually see a lot of people who are ambulatory wheelchair users, who use a various multitude of mobility aids.

“Hopefully, more people can know that they’re elible for the Paralympics by seeing me – they’ll see me walking sometimes, they’ll see me in a chair sometimes and I think that broadens the idea of what is a disability, what is a Paralympian.

“I think the good that I’ll be able to do for the Paralympic movement will far exceed what I could have done for the Olympics and I’m super grateful for that opportunity,” Raleigh-Crossley said.

Raleigh-Crossley intends to swim in four individual events and potentially two relays for Team USA in Paris.

“I just want to have fun – enjoy the moment and take it all in, with no expectations,” she said.