Krystal Lara

Krystal Lara
Personal information
Full nameKrystal Denise Lara
National teamDominican Republic
Born (1998-03-18) March 18, 1998 (age 26)
Staten Island, New York
Alma materStuyvesant High School
Height5ft 5in (165 cm)
Sport
SportSwimming
Event(s)Butterfly and Backstroke
College teamNorthwestern University
ClubAsphalt Green Unified Aquatics (Eastside)
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  Dominican Republic
Central American and Caribbean Games
Silver medal – second place 2018 Barranquilla 200 m backstroke
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Barranquilla 100 m backstroke
Bolivarian Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Valledupar 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Valledupar 100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 2022 Valledupar 100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2022 Valledupar 100 m backstroke
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Valledupar 50 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Valledupar 4×100 m mixed medley

Krystal Denise Lara (born March 18, 1998) is a Dominican-American competitive swimmer who specializes in the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, and 200 backstroke. Her international debut was at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games, where she won a bronze and silver medal in the 100 and 200 backstroke, respectively.

Early life

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Lara was born in Staten Island, New York, and is the daughter of Frederick and Alexandra Lara. She has double nationality through her father who is Dominican. Her mother was born and raised in Colombia. Lara attended Stuyvesant High School in New York City and was a member of the swim club Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics. She holds multiple records in her high school swim team, the Stuyvesant Penguins, where she was known as "Krystal the Pistol." She was a student-athlete and NCAA Division I All-American at Northwestern University on an athletic scholarship and graduated in 2020 with a major in sociology and minor in business institutions.[1][2][3]

Career

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Lara's first national stage was at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, for which she qualified in the 100-meter backstroke. She placed 86th with a time of 1.03.59.[4]

At her first 2018 Campeonatos Nacionales FEDONA, Dominican Republic Swimming Nationals, Lara broke five national records which include the 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, and 100 butterfly.[5] She re-broke these records at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia. Lara won bronze in the 100 backstroke, clocking a 1.01.39, just 0.05 shy from silver and 0.09 from gold. In the 200 backstroke she won silver with a time of 2.13.82, also 0.12 away from gold. Lara missed the podium in the 100 butterfly, placing fourth with a time of 1.00.48.[6]

Lara broke a 28-year medal drought when she won the bronze medal in the 100 backstroke.[7] She also became the first Dominican swimmer in history to win a silver medal in these games.[8] She was named to the Dominican Olympic team for the postponed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.[9]

At the VII Dominican Republic International Swim Open, Lara broke a 34-year-old record in the 200 meter butterfly with a time of 2:15.83. She currently holds 13 Dominican national records.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Waggoner, Jim (11 November 2015). "Stuyvesant senior swimmer Krystal Lara signs with Northwestern". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  2. ^ Remnick, Noah (27 March 2016). "Her Parents Thought Swimming Lessons Were a Good Idea". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  3. ^ "CSCAA Names All-American Teams for 2019-20 Season" (PDF). CSCAA. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  4. ^ D'Amodio, Joe (28 June 2016). "Islander Krystal Lara places 86th at U.S. Swimming Trials". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  5. ^ Bienvenido, Carmona (14 April 2018). "Krystal Lara impone récords en el Campeonato Nacional de Natación 2018". El Nacional. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Central American and Caribbean Games Swimming Results". El Heraldo. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018.
  7. ^ Martinez, Rafael (21 July 2018). "Krystal Lara gana bronce en natación tras 28 años sin medallas en Juegos Centroamericanos". El Nacional. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  8. ^ Cáceres, José (26 July 2018). "Krystal Lara gana plata en 200 m dorso". Hoy Digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  9. ^ D'Amodio, Joe (6 July 2021). "Staten Island swimmer qualifies for Olympic Games in Tokyo". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  10. ^ Martínez, Rafael (4 April 2022). "Krystal Lara y Josué Domínguez campeones individuales natación". El Nacional. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
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