Issue date: 9/17/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Wade Barker "I was kind of nervous. I didn't want to be that girl who got the U.S. disqualified from the Olympics." [Click to enlarge]

Senior swimmer Christine Marshall has another piece of hardware to go with her Aggie Ring - an Olympic medal. Marshall qualified for the Beijing Olympics in the 4x200 meter freestyle relay. She and her U.S. teammates took home the bronze behind Australia and China.

"It was really exciting," Marshall said. "It was my first international meet and I was really excited about swimming and representing my country. I tried not to put so much pressure on myself, but when you're swimming for USA you're expected to do well and be the best."

Marshall said the bronze medal is an accomplishment, but the most important aspect of her Olympic competition was the overall experience.

"The best thing about Beijing was just being there and swimming," Marshall said. "But going out after or just hanging out when not competing was a lot of fun too. Swimming with all of the elite athletes that everyone looks up to was cool. It's fun to be able to tell people Dara [Torres] was my suitemate or Christie [Magnuson] was my roommate, but they are just regular people like you and me."

Torres is the 41-year-old, 12-time medalist who began competing in the 1984 Summer Olympics. She won three silver medals in Beijing. Magnuson won silver in the 100-meter butterfly.

Marshall said the Olympic Village was accommodating.

"The best thing about the village was the breakfast," Marshall said. "They had everything you could imagine from around the world there. Everything was there for us, masseuse, chiropractors to pop your ribs back in place, the works."

During the Olympics, Marshall was one of several athletes who celebrated a birthday. Marshall turned 22 in Beijing.

"We all got Snickers bars, put a candle in the Snickers bar and that was my birthday cake" Marshall said. "I think my parents are getting me a real birthday cake when I go home though."

Marshall said she was surrounded by celebrities.

Continued...

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