Christa Welger
Competition | 1986
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Christa started in wheelchair sports in 1957 as a member of the German National Team. In 1958, she attended her first Stoke Mandeville Games and won three first places in Swimming plus gold medals in javelin, shot put and club throw. In 1959 at Stoke Mandeville, Christa repeated all six gold medal performances and added one more in the precision javelin. In 1960 at the Rome Paralympics, it was the Christa Zander show: seven gold medals and each one a new Paralympic record. In addition, she competed in archery, taking home a silver medal for her efforts. Christa was the toast of the Paralympic Village and was by far the greatest female wheelchair athlete in the world at that time. Christa continued her winning ways in 1961, again setting several new World records.
It was during her international travels for competition at the 1958 Stoke Mandeville Games that she met a young American athlete by the name of Saul Welger. A long distance relationship blossomed and the romance was the toast of the wheelchair sports world for many years. The romance culminated in marriage in June of 1962 and Christa began her career as an American athlete, arriving in the New York City on June 15, 1962. On June 16, her first full day in the United States, she competed in the USA National Wheelchair Games. Christa won the javelin, discus, shot put and table tennis…a truly remarkable achievement. This was the first year that women were competing in the National Wheelchair Games. It was her records that all other competitors started shooting for. Christa had set the standard for all American women.
Christa competed in the National Wheelchair Games in 1963 and 1964. She was the only woman selected as a unanimous choice to represent the USA at the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics. Again she won six gold medals in her various events. Shortly after the Tokyo Games, Christa announced her retirement from competition to settle down to raise a family. She retired the way all great athletes are supposed to: on top.
Many of Christa’s records stood for years, until classifications were re-designated. She earned the respect and admiration of all wheelchair athletes. She was the leader of women’s sports for years in her adopted country of the United States, as well as her native Germany and the world. Her election to the National Wheelchair Athletic Association Hall of Fame is a well-deserved honor.
