US Paralympian Christie Raleigh Crossley claims she was 'verbally accosted' after her swimming silver win

NANTERRE, FRANCE: US swimmer Christie Raleigh Crossley claimed that "bullies" who doubted her impairment clouded her moment of triumph after she won a silver medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

Raleigh Crossley, 37, touched the wall in her 50 freestyle S9 race preliminary heat, setting a new world record of 27.28, per USA Today.

However, she was disparaged by several individuals for taking part in S9 activities after her victory on Thursday, August 29 in the women's 50-meter freestyle S10.

According to Paralympic.orgs, swimming events are divided into 10 classes based on degree of functional disability, and the classifications "determine which athletes are eligible to compete in a sport and how athletes are grouped together for competition."

Raleigh Crossley has said that she's been critiqued for competing in the S9 event that involves athletes who "swim with joint restrictions in one leg or with double below-the-knee amputations."

Christie Raleigh Crossley 'verbally accosted by another athlete' over her disability

Day 1 of the swimming finals kicked off at Paris La Defense Arena with a flashy light and music display and a boisterous crowd in attendance.

Raleigh Crossley won a silver medal in the women's 50-meter freestyle S10, earning Team USA's second medal of the 2024 Paralympic Games. Yi Chen of China won gold, and Aurelie Rivard of Canada took home the bronze.

The Paralympic swimmer has since opened up about being criticized and having her disability questioned following her silver medal victory on Thursday, August 29.

Raleigh Crossley claimed that she had gotten negative feedback from other athletes on her participation in the S9 event, making it a challenging day for her.

"It's so great that I just broke a world record and won my first Paralympic medal on the same day. But I got off a bus and got verbally accosted by another athlete from another country," Raleigh Crossley said.

She continued, "To be told online by all of these bullies that I’m somehow not as disabled as I appear just because I can swim faster than them is pretty devastating."

Raleigh Crossley's joy was short-lived, as some athletes, among others, expressed doubts about her impairment in derogatory remarks on social media. However, several fellow Paralympians have come to her support.

Following the remarks, Raleigh Crossley reported that she had a meeting in the Paralympic Village with an athlete safety representative.

Christie Raleigh Crossley's multiple injuries throughout her life

Raleigh Crossley, a former swimmer at Florida State University who had dreams of competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, suffered spinal problems after being involved in an automobile accident in 2007 that was caused by an intoxicated motorist.

She had brain injuries the following year after being struck by a car while crossing the street, per HuffPost.

Despite a history of injuries, Raleigh Crossley's 2018 snowball fight with her kid resulted in partial paralysis. A brain tumor was found in her after the incident. The string of mishaps has left her paralyzed on the left side.

Upon examining her brain following the incident, physicians found bleeding and a blood tumor, necessitating the removal of a portion of her skull to remove the tumor.

In an interview with Today.com, the New Jersey mother of three recounted her path to the Paralympics and said, "I’ve dealt with bullying because I’m not missing limbs or because people think I don’t look disabled."

Her goal is to increase awareness in order to reshape the image of a Paralympian. "I want to show that Paralympians are more than athletes who are missing limbs. We are not just people in wheelchairs. We are not all blind," the Paralympian remarked.

Raleigh Crossley added, "There is a spectrum of what makes someone eligible and there are many athletes who are missing out because they just don’t know. I want to help kids, the next generation of Paralympians, to embrace their sport."

Sports fans congratulate Christie Raleigh Crossley on her silver medal

Social media users took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the Paralympian on her first-ever Paralympic medal win, one exclaimed, "That's how you make a debut! Congrats Christie!"

A second added, "Congratulations Christie! So proud of Team USA"

Another added, "I saw her interview and she is definitely upset with some teammates, so I hope whatever is causing her stress and feeling like she “has a target on her back” will be figured out and handled. Congrats on the Silver though."

"So awesome to see people that never give up if your not motivated to get up and make something happen then I don't what to tell you. God bless and much love LFG TEAM USA BRING IT HOME BABY," remarked one.

"A woman my age, and a mother doing this. That’s crazy impressive," chimed in another.

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