Christina Ripp

Sport: Wheelchair Basketball/ Wheelchair Road Race
Residence: Champaign, Illinois

Christina Ripp has been involved in wheelchair basketball since she was 11 years old. Her professional career in wheelchair sports took off in 1996 when she was selected as an alternate for the U.S. Paralympic Basketball Team. Christina was a member of the 1998 and 2002 Women’s Gold Cup teams, winning a silver medal each year. In 1998, Christina was also selected to the five member Women’s All-World team as a result of her play at the Gold Cup tournament.

Also a wheelchair racer, Christina had a breakthrough year on the roads and on the track in 2002. She finished second in the Boston Marathon in 1 hour, 49 minutes, 32 seconds. She then topped that performance in July at the International Paralympic Committee’s Athletics World Championships in Lillie , France .

During her international track and field debut, Christina recorded one of the biggest upsets of the championships when she grabbed control of the 5,000 meter with one lap remaining and out-sprinted perennial powerhouse Louise Sauvage of Australia to win in 13:28 . She also won the silver medal in the 800 meter in 1:56.2.

In 2003, Christina continued her roadway success by taking the 107th running of the Boston marathon by just 30 seconds over her top rival, Cheri Blauwet. Following that win, Christina won the prestigious Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta by a mere one tenth of a second over Blauwet. However, she was denied wins in the New York City and Boston marathons, and settled for 2nd and 12th place respectively. A flat tire in the 2004 Boston Marathon kept her off the winner’s podium.

At the 2004 Summer Paralympic Games of Athens, Christina was a member of the gold medal winning Wheelchair Basketball team. In 2006, she won a bronze medal at the IPC World Championships in Assen , Netherlands in the 1500m race and won a silver medal at the Gold Cup in Amsterdam , Nethrlands with the US Women’s Basketball team.

Christina’s record is evidence of the message espoused by The Hartford, founding sponsor of U.S. Paralympics: The sky’s the limit when we focus on an individual’s abilities, instead of on his or her perceived physical limitations. Through its partnership with U.S. Paralympics®, The Hartford is helping to positively change public attitudes and perceptions about disability.